Roland Emmerich has acquired the screen rights for John Coe Robbins' historical novel Maya Lord for a feature adaptation.

The book tells the fact-based story of Gonzalo Guerrero, who was shipwrecked after a dangerous storm in 1511 and found himself on a mysterious shore in the New World. He and his Spanish crew members were enslaved by a Mayan tribe, and, after he sees no hope of escaping, the adventurer tries to find a way to advance in their society. When one of his fellow captives joins Cortes, Guerrero rises within the Mayan tribe to become one of their top warlords, as they try to turn away Cortes and other Spanish conquistadors. Gonzalo Guerrero eventually married the daughter of a Mayan chieftan, and is regarded as the father of the first Mestizo family, a term given to individuals of European and Native American descent.

The director has reportedly been passionate about this story for several years, although it won't be his next project. We reported earlier this month that his next movie will be Stonewall, based on the true story of a 1969 Greenwich Village raid that galvanized the gay rights movement, which has Jeremy Irvine set to star. After that, he will next make the long-awaited Independence Day 2, a follow-up to his 1996 blockbuster Independence Day.

Roland Emmerich acquired the book rights through his Centropolis Entertainment company, with Aaron Boyd and Kirstin Winkler overseeing the project.