Antonio Banderas Stars in AI Feature 'Cortés' — SkimNews
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- Antonio Banderas will star as Hernán Cortés in Utopai Studios' AI-powered feature 'Cortés,' currently in production in Paris and set for release next year alongside Utopai's 'The Most Serious Fart' and 'Half Moon.'
- 'Cortés' is directed by Paul Mignot ('Vaincre ou mourir') from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Nicholas Kazan ('Reversal of Fortune'), and follows Cortés's 1519 expedition to the Yucatán and his relationship with Marina, an enslaved Indigenous linguist.
- Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios are co-producing and co-financing the film, with Utopai handling sales and distribution in the U.S., Canada, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and Ex Machina covering Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.
- Ex Machina Studios, led by CEO Marco Weber (a former co-CEO of Utopai), describes itself as dedicated to 'advancing episodic and feature-length cinema through the ethical, artist-first integration of artificial intelligence.'
- Banderas comes to 'Cortés' from his recent turn as Anthony Bourdain's mentor José Vatel in A24's 'Tony'; his attachment marks the latest instance of a Hollywood veteran endorsing an AI-focused company as the industry remains divided over AI's role in production.
- Utopai has also partnered with Chinese production company Huace on a fully AI-generated adaptation of 'Journey to the West: The Lost Five Hundred Years' and is developing an AI-assisted animated feature based on Mike Bender's children's book 'The Most Serious Fart.'
Why it matters: Banderas—an Oscar-nominated star—becomes the latest A-lister to publicly attach himself to an AI-integrated production company, lending marquee credibility to Utopai and Ex Machina at a moment when the film industry remains divided over AI's role in production workflows, with both studios explicitly branding themselves as AI-first.
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