Ron Howard is teaming up with Showtime for his passion project known as Conquest, a period drama set during the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

The story centers on Herman Cortes, the Spanish Conquistador who took down the Aztec Empire, lead by Moctezuma II. The plot is described as, "a classic war story about two powerful men and their people ultimately leading to the destruction of the Aztec culture and the men themselves."

Jose Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries) is writing the pilot script, with Ron Howard slated to direct the first episode. The project was initially going to be a feature film, before the filmmaker thought it was best suited for a TV show. He brought it to David Nevins, the Showtime president who was once the head of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Television division, before moving to Showtime in 2010.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer will executive produce alongside Jose Rivera and Francie Calfo. No production schedule was given.