Antonio Banderas to portray Pablo Picasso

Antonio Banderas has signed up to portray the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in the upcoming biopic entitled '33 Dias (33 Days)'.

The film tells the story of how Picasso spent 33 days of his life painting his famous mural Guernica.

In an interview for Spanish newspaper El Pais, the actor said: "Picasso is a character that has pursued me for a long time and I always rejected.

"He deserves a lot of respect because I am from Malaga, and I was born four blocks from where he was born."

Not only will the Carlos Saura film show how Picasso created the well-known mural, it will also look at the artist's complicated love affair with French artist Dora Maar.

Picasso is perhaps one of the best known artists of the 20th century who heavily influenced others with his changing styles, including cubism.

Banderas made his screen debut in 'Labyrinth of Passion' in 1982 and spent the early part of his career working in Spanish films before making a memorable appearance in 1993's 'Philadelphia'.

Since then, he has enjoyed a lucrative Hollywood career.