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Tag: Zorro

  • Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Back in December of 2021, we learned that Disney has cast Wilmer Valderrama as its new Zorro. Disney TV was developing the project which was going to be a period piece set in Pueblo de Los Angeles with a telenovela style. After a long silence on the project, it seems it is moving forward after all, as it has added Game of Thrones‘ Bryan Cogman as its writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

    The series is described as a “bold reimagining of Disney’s classic series for a modern audience.” Cogman makes a great get for the series, as he’s worked for eight seasons on Game of Thrones, even ending the series’ run as a co-executive producer and having written eleven episodes. He also was involved with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and wrote the screenplay for Disney’s live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone.

    It’ll be interesting to see if they are still focusing on a telenovela style now that they added Cogman as its showrunner. His experience is more with high-fantasy series which might make for a unique take on the Zorro character, but who knows how far they’ve already gotten working on the project since that initial casting announcement over a year ago. We’ll have to wait a bit to find out what Disney’s take on the iconic caped crusader might look like.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’s Robert Rodriguez Developing Gender-Swapped ‘Zorro’ Series for The CW

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’s Robert Rodriguez Developing Gender-Swapped ‘Zorro’ Series for The CW

    It looks like there’s another Zorro reboot on the horizon, only this time the famous vigilante will be hitting the small screen. In addition, the person behind the mask will be a woman. Deadline is reporting that veteran filmmaker Robert Rodriguez will executive produce and write a new series featuring a gender-swapped version of the character for The CW. Rodriguez will be joined in the writer’s room by former Mayans M.C. producer Sean Tretta, who will serve as showrunner. His sister Rebecca Rodriguez will also direct the pilot, after working on TNT’s Snowpiercer.

    Zorro is set to follow a young Latinx woman seeking vengeance for her father’s murder, ultimately leading her to join a secret society and adopt the ‘Zorro’ persona. The story comes from the Rodriguez siblings, with Tretta writing the script. This is the second attempt at a female-led Zorro series after NBC had put one into production from Alfredo Barrios Jr. in 2019. Sofia Vergara was at one point attached to the project as a producer but has since dropped out.

    This is also not the first time Robert Rodriguez has tried his hand at adapting the character. The Spy Kids director was originally supposed to helm 1998’s popular The Mask of Zorro, and even had a role in casting Antonio Banderas as the lead, but budgetary concerns lead to him being replaced by Martin Campbell before filming began. The CW’s Zorro won’t be the only new take on the legendary outlaw in the next few years, either. Alex Rivera is currently on board to write and direct a film reboot for Sobini Films titled Zorro 2.0, which will reimagine the title character as a young, undocumented hacker.

    Source: Deadline

  • Disney Adds Wilmer Valderrama as its New Zorro

    Disney Adds Wilmer Valderrama as its New Zorro

    Disney has been building its filmography on classic Intellectual Properties it had garnered over the last few years. Among them, they’ve been eyeing a revival of the iconic Zorro franchise. The original vigilante that inspired Bob Kane to create Batman is quite the icon since 1919. Disney has now set their eyes on reviving the character in a new series and they found the actor to play the character, Wilmer Valderrama.

    The series is in development by Disney TV, which will be a period piece during Pueblo de Los Angeles, which would eventually become the modern-day L.A. It’ll even adapt a contemporary telenovela style, which will certainly make the series stand out. Valderrama shared his excitement for the new project:

    Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero. As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary [Marsh, executive producer] and Disney to bring Zorro back into the family after 60 years and be a part of the legacy for other children to know they too can be the heroes of their own stories is a dream come true

    Wilmer Valderrama

    There have been countless adaptations of the masked vigilante, and he’s no stranger to television adaptations. Disney had a series featuring Guy Williams in the titular role that ran for 78 episodes and for over two years. There were even some specials for The Magical World of Disney in the 1960s. It’ll be interesting to see if this new adaptation of Zorro will also include references to the past.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly