Rivera to Pen Series About Hernán Cortés for Showtime

He brilliantly penned a story based on Che Guevara‘s diary about a motorcycle trip… And, now José Rivera will be writing about another Latino legend.

Jose Rivera

The 57-year-old playwright—the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for The Motorcycle Diaries—is penning the script for Showtime’s in-development series Conquest, which tells the story of conquistador Hernán Cortés, who led the Spanish conquest in Mexico, and his clash with Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztec Empire which fell at the hands of Cortés and his men.

Hernan Cortes & Montezuma

Filled with blood, lust, gold, magic and mythology, Conquest is described as “a classic war story about two powerful men and their people, ultimately leading to the destruction of the Aztec culture and the men themselves.”

Oscar-winner Ron Howard is attached to direct Conquest, which happens to be one of his passion projects.

In addition, Howard and Rivera would executive produce the series with Brian Grazer and Imagine TV president Francie Calfo.

Conquest marks Rivera’s return to television, where he co-created the 1991 NBC series Eerie, Indiana.