The last time Roland Emmerich delved into history, the world was faced with Anonymous, which ended up a controversial look at Shakespeare’s work. It seems he’s happy living in the past at the moment, because he’s preparing to direct 1960s-set gay rights drama Stonewall and may go even further back via his option on John Coe Robbins’ novel **Maya Lord.
Robbins’ book is set in 1511 and is based on the true story of Gonzalo Guerrero, who was shipwrecked and found himself washed ashore on an unknown part of what was then the New World. He and his fellow Spanish shipmate survivors were captured and enslaved by a Mayan tribe, and Guerrero ended up embracing the Mayan culture. When one of his fellow captives escaped and joined up with the invading forces led by Cortes, Guerrero became a Mayan warlord and defended his adopted people.
According to Deadline, Emmerich has been interested in the story for years, pursuing a way to bring it to the screen. Just don’t expect him jump into it as the next project after Stonewall. There’s still the not-so-small matter of the long-gestating Independence Day sequel…