Turns out, Javier Bardem wanted to phone home with E.T., the extraterrestrial from Steven Spielberg’s hit 1982 film. “I remember the day, I saw the film three times in a row,” Bardem recalled to British Vogue, declaring his childhood crush was E.T. “I remember when I met Steven Spielberg. He’s such a wonderful man. What an artist.” Bardem was set to play conqueror Hernan Cortés, who led an expedition to the heart of King Montezuma II’s (Tenoch Huerta) Aztec empire.
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“Cortés y Moctezuma” was written by “Schindler’s List” Oscar winner Steve Zaillian, and co-starred Yoshira Escárrega. Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna also executive produced.
Spielberg’s Amblin originated the film in 2014 as a feature, with Spielberg tentatively directly. There has been no update yet on the state of “Cortés y Moctezuma.”
Meanwhile, Bardem has recently been making the awards circuit rounds for films “Dune” and “Being the Ricardos.” Bardem told IndieWire that he’s eagerly awaiting the script for “Dune 2.”
“I can’t wait to work with Josh [Brolin],” Bardem said of his co-star. “I can’t wait to work with Denis [Villaneuve], he’s a master, so enthusiastic when shooting, like a little kid making a dream of his.”
Turns out, childhood dreams do come true, if you trade one extraterrestrial for another!
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