fx-series-conquistadors-they-marched-into-sunlight-slice

FX is currently in the process of developing two new limited series shows to add to their lineup: The first is Conquistadors, a drama based on Kim McQuarrie’s novel The Last Days of the Incas, set to be directed by Nicholas Osborn (Remember Me) and Scott Rosenbaum (Chuck).  The second is Stephen Gaghan’s (Syriana) six-part Vietnam War drama They Marched into Sunlight, based on the bestseller of the same name written by the award-winning author David Maraniss.  Hit the jump for more information. 

the-last-days-of-the-incas-book-cover

Osborn and Rosenbaum’s Conquistadors is a drama about the downfall of the Incan empire and young love, which will no doubt add to the growing event series base on FX, which includes Mayflower from Paul Giamatti and Grand Hotel from Sam Mendes. Here is a more detailed synopsis of Conquistadors according to THR:

“The drama tells the story of Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro, two Spanish Conquistadors who above all odds conquered the Incan empire of 10 million with just 168 men, and Manco Inca and Cura Occlo, two teenage Incan royal lovers, who led one of the greatest rebellions in history.”

Sounds like a great premise for a series.

Per Deadline, Gaghan’s They Marched into Sunlight is an account of the Vietnam War, both from the battlefield and the home front. The series is based on two different events that occurred in October 1967: the surprise attack on the Black Lion army battalion in Vietnam and a protest from University of Wisconsin students against Dow Chemical, the company responsible for the development of Napalm. The assertion is that these two separate events served as game changers, both in the Vietnam War and in how these events continue to influence the American conversation about war today.

It seems that the smashing success of American Horror Story, which is about to launch into its third season, has encouraged FX to continue to explore the limited series genre as a new niche for viewers. As a prospective series, Conquistadors not only has seasoned screenwriters behind it, but it is based on a historical account that Goodreads considers to be “among the most powerful and important accounts of the culture of the South American Indians and the Spanish Conquest.” Likewise, They Marched into Sunlight appears very promising; both in its approach, which recalls events from Vietnam and the home front, and because of the lasting influence of those events in modern American opinion.

they-marched-into-sunlight-book-cover