Antonio Banderas to play Picasso in '33 Days'

For a few years there it looked like all Antonio Banderas was good for was Spy Kids and Puss in Boots, neither of which is worthy of the man who is arguably Spain's most recognized actor. Fortunately the last year has seen him getting back to what he does best, re-teaming with Pedro Almodovar on the twisted drama, The Skin I Live In, and as a central figure in Steven Soderbergh's Haywire. Now he's set to keep that trend going by taking on the role of Pablo Picasso in 33 Dias(33 Days).

Directed by Carlos Saura, the film deals with the influential artist's time spent working on his renowned mural, Guernica. The mural captured the artist's reaction to the 1937 bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by Nazi and Italian forces during the Spanish Civil War. The film's story will show how Picasso's painting of the mural came at a time of personal crisis for him, and proved to be something of a lifeline. 

Banderas seems pretty excited over the role, telling a Spanish newspaper that Picasso is a character who deserves a lot of  respect, and that he was born in Malaga, only four blocks away from where the artist himself was born. At the time of Guernica, Picasso was about 56 years old, only five years older than Banderas is now, so this is a perfect fit all around.  Shooting will commence next summer in Paris and Guernica. [Variety]