Amazon Studios and Amblin Partners have abandoned their already partly shot epic four-hour miniseries “Cortes y Moctezuma” starring Oscar winner Javier Bardem and executive produced by “Y Tu Mama Tambien” duo Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna.
The series was to focus on legendary conqueror Hernan Cortes (Bardem), who led a rebellious expedition to the heart of King Montezuma II’s Aztec empire, connecting two civilizations for the first time and changing the course of history.
The largest Spanish-language production of all time, the project was penned by Oscar winner Steve Zaillian and was two weeks into filming in Mexico when it was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement to Deadline, the companies say:
“Due to the production constraints created by the COVID-19 global pandemic, Amazon Studios and Amblin Partners are unable to move forward with production on our Cortes y Moctezuma series. In the current climate, there is unfortunately no way to remount the production in the near future to achieve the scale and scope that was intended and that the series deserves. We have nothing but admiration and respect for Javier, Tenoch, Yoshira, Gael, Diego, Steve Zaillian, and the entire cast and crew of the series and hope we can work together again in the future.”
The long-gestating passion project originated as a feature and potential directing vehicle for Spielberg before morphing into event series form. With the long history of it, they may try a new version far down the road. The completed footage was shot out of sequence and so could not be turned into a cohesive special or movie.
The series boasted elaborate sets built on multiple stages, intricate props, a backlot filled with exact replicas of pyramids and employed hundreds of extras – not to mention there’s the very costly price tag which will go even higher due to the significant shutdown costs that will be associated.