If anyone thought that his move to Málaga signified the end of Antonio Banderas’s Hollywood career, they were completely wrong. That young actor who in 1980 arrived in Madrid with 15,000 pesetas sewn by his mother into the double lining of his pants and debuted in cinema alongside Pedro Almodóvar, is now preparing to face two new international challenges on the small and big screen.
Undoubtedly, the most surprising is that he will be, alongside Nicolas Cage, one of the protagonists of the fifth season of True Detective. Created by Nic Pizzolatto, this series has earned a reputation for being one of the best and most influential crime fictions on television in the twentieth century. Each season follows a different pair of detectives as they unravel mysteries with paranormal overtones across the United States.
The last season aired in 2024 and was led by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, with the cold Alaska as the setting. But the first installment, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the leading roles, remains the most emblematic. In this new batch of episodes, Nicolas Cage’s character will be named Henry Logan, while Antonio Banderas will portray Rai García. Both actors will also assume the role of executive producers.
Antonio Banderas will portray Hernán Cortés
34 years after his Hollywood debut with Los reyes del mambo, the Spanish actor nominated for an Oscar for his role in Dolor y gloria (2019) has an exciting and epic project ahead that has already begun filming. Antonio Banderas will portray the conquistador Hernán Cortés in a film titled Cortés, directed by French filmmaker Paul Mignot and with a script by Nicholas Kazan.
Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas at the 2005 Oscars.
Set in 1519, Cortés begins in Cuba, where a restless and glory-hungry soldier takes command of an expedition to Yucatán and sails without permission. After landing on the coast of what is today Mexico, he meets Marina, also known as La Malinche, an enslaved Indigenous woman and a linguist of great talent who will become indispensable to his advance. As Hernán Cortés moves forward in his conquest, Marina will witness how she goes from being a bold outlaw to a self-proclaimed messiah.
Production is already underway in Paris and additional filming is planned in Spain. In a press release, producer Marco Weber has stated that “Antonio Banderas gives us a Cortés who can be imposing, complex and profoundly human, while Paul Mignot has a clear vision of the brilliant script written by Nick. I could not be more excited about the exceptional team we have assembled and the possibility of combining all elements to create an impressive world in a film that feels both epic and intimate.”
Tony Is Not Being Shown in Theaters in Spain
Before seeing him in these two new roles, we have a date with Tony. This biopic directed by Matt Johnson chronicles the origins of the famous American chef Anthony Bourdain, who died in 2018 at the age of 61. The film stars Dominic Sessa as a 19-year-old Bourdain, while Antonio Banderas portrays the demanding but kind head chef and owner of the restaurant where the chef works. The main cast is completed by Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall and Stavros Halkias.
With the acclaimed producer A24 behind it, the Malaga-born actor has received enthusiastic reviews for this role and some awards analysts have even suggested that he could secure a new Oscar nomination. However, in Spain we will be unable to see the film in cinemas, as the release of Tony is scheduled for October 26 on Prime Video.
