Antonio Banderas to Star as Hernán Cortés in Historical Epic 'Cortés'

Antonio Banderas will play Hernán Cortés in Cortés, a historical feature now in production in Paris, Variety reported on 12 October 2026.

The casting puts a familiar screen presence at the centre of a conquest story. Cameras are already rolling in the French capital.

The film follows Cortés as a glory-hungry soldier in 1519 who leads an expedition to the Yucatán, according to the same report. It is directed by Paul Mignot and written by Nicholas Kazan. Kazan is known for thrillers and character dramas, while Mignot steps into the director’s chair after a change at the top.

Cortés is made as a co-production between Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios, meaning the two organisations share the work of getting the film made. The pair will also co-finance the picture, splitting the cost of production between them.

The sales plan is already divided by territory. Utopai will lead sales and distribution — the business of licensing the film to cinemas, broadcasters and streaming services — in the U.S., Canada, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Ex Machina will handle most of Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, Variety reported.

The project has been a long time coming for Utopai. It was one of the company’s first slated films after its rebrand as an entertainment studio last year. At that stage production designer Kirk Petruccelli was set to direct, before Mignot took over.

Utopai is led by co-founder and chief executive Cecilia Shen. Ex Machina is led by chief executive and co-founder Marco Weber, a former co-chief executive of Utopai who is also a producer on Cortés.

What makes this stand out is how complete the package already looks. A lead is cast. A shoot is under way. Buyers around the world already know which door to knock on.