Roland Emmerich. The name conjures up aliens, explosions, and airplanes flying through collapsing buildings. Or maybe you like your Emmerich in the form of action movies–the Revolutionary War, maybe, or the White House under siege. Then there’s the straight sci-fi version of Emmerich: protecting a mining station on a moon, say, or interstellar travel. The man has directed 24 movies ranging from prehistoric epics to futuristic thrillers, but we of course know him best as the vision behind such classic disaster movies as Independence Day, 2012, and The Day After Tomorrow. Now he’s set his sights on adapting the true story of a 16th-century Spanish adventurer who learned to live as a Mayan.
Maya Lord, based on the 2011 book of the same name by John Coe Robbins and adapted by Angela Workman (The Zookeeper’s Wife), tell the story of the first Europeans to encounter the Mayans in 1511. Explorer Gonzalo Guerrero, Catholic priest Jeronimo de Aguilar, and other members of their party are captured and enslaved by a Mayan tribe after a shipwreck in the Yucatan Peninsula. Although Guerrero earns his freedom by adopting his captors’ culture, Father Aguilar stays true to his faith and heritage. When the Spanish conquistadors show up in 1519, the two men are set against each other as they choose differing sides in the conflict. Oh, and there’s a romance with the chieftain’s daughter, of course.
Says Emmerich: “I have been passionate about bringing this incredible true story of famed adventurer Gonzalo Guerrero to audiences for a long time.”
If you liked Braveheart, Dances With Wolves, or Emmerich’s own The Patriot, you might like Maya Lord. No release date has been set yet.
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