Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg looks set to helm Montezuma.
Spielberg will be teaming up with writer Steven Zailian and Oscar winner Javier Bardem for the historical tale, according to Deadline.
Montezuma is set in 1519 and centres on the confrontation between Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez and Aztec leader Montezuma after the former led an infiltration of Mexico.
Bardem has been tipped to play Cortez, while Zaillian is busy rewriting the script and will also act as producer.
Cortez - who introduced money-lust, religion, and disease into the Aztec region - was initially captured by Montezuma, but managed to make the Aztec leader his puppet and lead attacks on his people.
The movie project is said to be one of the greatest unmade scripts in history, and was first penned by Trumbo for 'Spartacus' actor Kirk Douglas in 1965. However, the Martin Ritt-directed film never came to fruition.
Speculation is rife about what film Spielberg will chose as his next project following the success of 2012's Oscar-winning 'Lincoln'.
He is said to have pushed back working on futuristic sci-fi adventure 'Robopocalypse' to focus on this new project, rumoured to be renamed 'Cortez'.
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