Though we’ve most recently only seen her in brief roles in both Contagion and The Avengers, Gwyneth Paltrow is lining up a major role in the drama Guernica 33 Days.  The story centers on Pablo Picasso’s emotional turmoil as he painted his masterpiece, with Antonio Banderas onboard to play the legendary artist.  Variety reports that Paltrow is in talks to play Picasso’s lover Dora Maar, a Spanish-speaking French photographer who snapped the stages of “Guernica’s” creation.  Paltrow speaks Spanish, having lived as an exchange student in Spain during her teenage years, and she recently flaunted her Español skills as a substitute Spanish teacher on Glee (for which she actually won an Emmy for some reason).

Paltrow’s a strong actress when given the right material, so hopefully she can shine in Guernica.  Carlos Saura (The Hunt) is set to direct, and production will begin in mid-September.  The Spain-financed pic also stars Imanol Arlas and Barbara Goenaga.  Paltrow is next set to shoot Iron Man 3.