Antonio Banderas to play Hernán Cortés in AI-assisted epic now filming in Paris
Representative image: fotografierende / Pixabay
Antonio Banderas will star as Hernán Cortés in Cortés, an AI-assisted historical drama from Utopai Studios now filming in Paris, it was announced on 12 October 2026.
What Happened
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas will play the conquistador Hernán Cortés in Cortés, a historical drama that its producers say will use generative artificial intelligence to make a large-scale period epic affordable, according to announcements reported on Monday, 12 October 2026. The film is being made by Utopai Studios with Ex Machina Studios, is directed by Paul Mignot from a screenplay by Nicholas Kazan, and is already in production in Paris, with more filming planned in Spain.
Key Facts
- Antonio Banderas stars as Hernán Cortés.
- Paul Mignot, known for Vaincre ou mourir, directs.
- Nicholas Kazan, the writer of Reversal of Fortune, wrote the screenplay.
- The story follows Cortés in 1519 as an ambitious soldier leading an expedition to the Yucatán.
- Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios are co-producing and co-financing the film and splitting sales territories.
- Production is under way in Paris, with additional shooting planned in Spain.
- Utopai says generative AI tools will help overcome the scale and cost limits that kept the project from being made.
Why It Matters
Big historical epics are among the most expensive films to make. Armies, ships, ancient cities and crowd scenes need large sets, costumes, extras and visual effects, which is why many such projects never get financed. The producers of Cortés are presenting AI as the answer: by generating parts of the visual world with software, they hope to put a story of this scale on screen at a cost a mid-sized production can carry. The arrival of a star of Banderas's standing gives the approach a visibility that earlier AI film experiments have lacked.
How Cortés is made, and how audiences respond, will be watched as a test of whether AI-assisted filmmaking can work at feature length with a recognisable cast.
Caution is needed about what the film will actually show. The producers have not disclosed exactly which AI techniques they will use or how much they will save, and coverage has noted that the cost claims are the producers' stated aims rather than proven results. The story itself, centred on the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, is also historically sensitive, and its portrayal of Cortés and Indigenous peoples is likely to draw attention when the film is released.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | Cortés |
| Lead | Antonio Banderas as Hernán Cortés |
| Director | Paul Mignot |
| Writer | Nicholas Kazan |
| Producers | Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios |
Impact
Short-term: The casting draws attention to AI-assisted production and to the producers' claims about what the technology can do.
Long-term: If the film succeeds, more studios may use generative AI to make expensive genres, such as war and historical epics, cheaper to produce, which could change the economics of filmmaking and the kinds of jobs it creates.
Who is affected: Film studios and independent producers, actors and visual effects workers, technology firms building film tools, and audiences of historical dramas.
Key Takeaway
Antonio Banderas will star as Hernán Cortés in an AI-assisted epic now filming in Paris, a high-profile test of whether generative AI can make big historical films affordable.
Questions and Answers
What is the film Cortés about?
It follows Hernán Cortés in 1519 as an ambitious soldier leading an expedition to the Yucatán, the start of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. Antonio Banderas plays Cortés.
Who is making Cortés?
Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios are co-producing and co-financing it. Paul Mignot directs and Nicholas Kazan wrote the screenplay.
How will AI be used in the film?
The producers say generative AI tools will help overcome the scale and cost limits of a large period film. They have not disclosed the specific techniques or the savings.
When will Cortés be released?
No release date has been announced. Production is under way in Paris, with more filming planned in Spain.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
