Antonio Banderas is to play Pablo Picasso in upcoming film ‘33 Days’, based on the period when the Spanish artist produced his masterpiece Guernica. Banderas told a Spanish newspaper that Picasso “deserves a lot of respect. I was born four blocks from where he was born.” ‘33 Days’ refers to the time Picasso spent on the Guernica mural. The famous painting captured the artist’s response to the destruction of the Basque town of Guernica in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. Banderas said Picasso was “a character that has pursued me for a long time”. Variety reports the film will also focus on Picasso’s relationship with his lover, French artist Dora Maar. Banderas is no stranger to art biopics, having appeared in a film about the life of Frida Kahlo in 2002 opposite Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina.
