Entertainment Biz - ANTONIO BANDERAS TO STAR AS HERNÁN CORTÉS

Antonio Banderas to Star as Hernán Cortés in Epic Feature Film 'Cortés,' - (Photo: Business Wire)

IN EPIC FEATURE FILM 'CORTÉS,' - DIRECTED BY PAUL MIGNOT - Set in 1519, Cortés begins in Cuba, where a restless soldier hungry for glory seizes command of an expedition to the Yucatán and sails without permission

PARIS - (BUSINESS WIRE)

Wednesday November 4, 2026

Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios announced that Academy Award-nominated actor Antonio Banderas will star as Hernán Cortés in Cortés, an epic feature film directed by French filmmaker Paul Mignot from a screenplay by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicholas Kazan.

For more than 35 years, Kazan's screenplay has endured as an ambitious and deeply human telling of one of history's most consequential encounters. Now, with Banderas starring, Mignot directing and Weber producing, Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios are bringing the film to the screen through a new production approach that combines traditional filmmaking with next-generation production technologies.

Utopai Studios will lead sales and distribution in the United States, Canada, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, while Ex Machina Studios will lead sales and distribution across most of Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

Set in 1519, Cortés begins in Cuba, where a restless soldier hungry for glory seizes command of an expedition to the Yucatán and sails without permission. After landing on the coast of what is now Mexico, he meets Marina, an enslaved Indigenous woman and gifted linguist who becomes indispensable to his advance. As Cortés turns fragile alliances, faith and fear into instruments of conquest, Marina watches him transform from a daring outlaw into a self-anointed messiah.

Production is already underway in Paris with additional shooting scheduled in Spain with Banderas performing the role of Cortés under Mignot's direction.

"Cortés is exactly why we built Utopai Studios," said Cecilia Shen, Co-Founder and CEO of Utopai Studios. "Our job is to build the production around that vision. Nicholas has written an extraordinary screenplay, Paul has a clear cinematic point of view and Antonio brings the humanity needed at the center of it. We want to give them the ability to make the film they set out to make."

"A historical epic works best if you believe the people at the center of it," said Marco Weber, producer of Cortés, and CEO and Co-Founder of Ex Machina Studios. "Antonio gives us a Cortés who can be commanding, complicated and deeply human, while Paul has a clear vision for the brilliant screenplay that Nick wrote. I couldn't be more excited about the exceptional team we have put together and to bring the elements together for some breathtaking world-building in a film that feels both epic and intimate."

Banderas earned an Academy Award nomination and won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in Pain and Glory. He recently starred in A24's Tony and will next be seen in Trudie Styler's Up Against It. His film credits include The Mask of Zorro, Desperado, Evita, Philadelphia, The Skin I Live In and the Puss in Boots franchise. His portrayals of Pablo Picasso in Genius: Picasso and Pancho Villa in And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself each earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Banderas is repped by NuCo Media Group and Greenberg Glusker.

Mignot is a French director whose work spans narrative filmmaking and global campaigns. His narrative credits include the historical feature Vaincre ou Mourir and the award-winning short All Blood Runs Red. He has also directed campaigns for BMW, Porsche, Audi, Lexus, Jeep, L'Oréal, Louis Vuitton and Emporio Armani.

Kazan received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his adapted screenplay for Reversal of Fortune. His screenwriting credits also include Frances, Patty Hearst, Matilda, Fallen and Bicentennial Man.

Additional casting and production details will be announced at a later date.

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