The Spanish-born Antonio Banderas will be portraying Pablo Picasso in the second season of Genius on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220).
In June National Geographic from the FOX Networks Group announced that the second season of its anthology scripted drama series Genius will revolve around the life of the famed Spanish painter.
Production of the 10-episode second season, following the first season that covered Albert Einstein, will start within months and will be broadcast on National Geographic worldwide in 2018.
The prolific artist known for his "Blue Period" generated over 50 000 works in 80 of his 91 years and he had an intriguing life that intersected with artists, writers and other creators ranging from Coco Chanel and Henri Matisse to Jean Cocteau and Gertrude Stein.
The second season of Genius will continue to be produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
"The life story of Pablo Picasso has long since fascinated me and I have so much respect for this man, who also comes from my birthplace Malaga," says Antonio Banderas in a press release.
"I am thrilled to work with National Geographic and the rest of the Genius team to tell an authentic story of one of the most innovative painters in the world."
"Antonio was the natural choice. He, like Picasso, has a no-holds-barred approach to life that will add to the genuineness that we're looking for," says Ron Howard. "He has such tremendous range as an actor, who I know will bring this brilliant and unconventional artist to life."
"From Pancho Villa to Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Antonio has had such a successful track record in portraying real-life, larger-than-life iconic figures with such honesty and depth. And with Picasso, I'm looking forward to seeing his interpretation of the man behind the artistic greatness, says Brian Grazer.
"Not only are they both from Malaga, Spain, but also similar to Picasso, Antonio exudes charisma and passion, and has challenged boundaries with his creative artistry," says Carolyn Bernstein, National Geographic vice president and head of global scripted programming. "He checks all the boxes for us and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him lead the series."
