And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself May 2026

: Facing a lack of funding and negative American press, Villa (played by Antonio Banderas ) signs a $25,000 contract to allow a film crew to document his military campaign.

: The story is told through the eyes of Frank Thayer (Eion Bailey), a young, inexperienced film executive sent to negotiate with Villa. And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself

The film featured a star-studded cast and was, at the time, the most expensive television movie ever made with a budget of over $30 million. Antonio Banderas Frank Thayer Eion Bailey Sam Dreben Alan Arkin Harry Aitken Jim Broadbent D.W. Griffith Colm Feore Raoul Walsh Kyle Chandler Historical Accuracy Pancho Villa - News - IMDb : Facing a lack of funding and negative

: The actual silent film produced, The Life of General Villa , was the first American feature-length movie; today, the original is lost, with only unedited battle fragments surviving. Cast and Crew Antonio Banderas Frank Thayer Eion Bailey Sam Dreben

: To accommodate the cameras, Villa reportedly agreed to fight battles only during daylight hours and even restaged some events for the lens.

The 2003 HBO film is a historical drama that explores the "strange-but-true" 1914 alliance between Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa and early Hollywood filmmakers. Directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Larry Gelbart , the film details Villa’s attempt to fund his revolution by selling the exclusive movie rights of his actual battles to the Mutual Film Corporation. Production and Plot Overview