Manolete was a legendary bullfighter in Spain who died a tragic death at the age of thirty. Tragic not just for the goring he received from his final bullfight, but because his true love was barred from seeing him during his final moments in case they married and she became entitled to the inheritance and sullied the famous bullfighters reputation.

It sounds a tragic tale, of both death and love, and it's set to come to the big screen with Adrien Brody as Manolete and Penelope Cruz as his true love Lupe Sino. From the story in Reuters:

Manolete's biographers wrote that Sino had a shady reputation and was said to be after his money, but underlying their words was a basic hostility to women in the bullfighting world...As Manolete bled to death after his fatal goring on August 28, 1947, Sino was barred from seeing him on "doctor's orders" in case the matador tried to marry her in his final moments...

...Experts say Manolete himself became the stuff of legend not only because of his innovation in the ring, but because he made bullfighting more popular than ever as a spectacle, before the arrival of television.

The film is set to explore the relationship that had been so frowned upon, and is written and directed by Menno Meyjes who also wrote The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The story sounds hugely interesting, although I'm not a fan of bullfighting, I'm interested to see what this superbly strong writer can bring to the screen. The love story, and the strength of Manolete, has the potential for an unusual and emotive tale.