When modern audiences hear the name Zorro, their minds will instantly turn to Martin Campbell’s massively enjoyable 1998 blockbuster The Mask of Zorro, and to a lesser extent, the disappointing sequel that arrived seven years later. However, Johnston McCulley’s literary creation has appeared in numerous serials, feature films and TV shows since the dashing hero made his debut in the pages of pulp magazine All-Story Weekly over 100 years ago.
Hollywood has been trying to get a reboot off the ground for a long time now, and ideas have ranged from a straightforward new retelling of the story to the post-apocalyptic Z that once had Gael Garcia Bernal attached to star via the bizarre yet incredibly exciting prospect of having Antonio Banderas’ Don Alejandro de la Vega cross over with Jamie Foxx’s Django, based on the comic book written by Quentin Tarantino.
Last year, it was reported that CBS and production company Propagate had partnered up to develop a female-driven Zorro TV show, and the project has finally gathered some serious forward momentum. The series has moved across to NBC, but Propagate remain involved, while Robert Rodriguez, his sister Rebecca and Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara have all signed on as producers.
The Rodriguez siblings will co-write the modern day adaptation of Zorro, which tells the story of Sola Dominguez, an underground artist who’s become the latest person to inherit the mantle of the title hero. Rebecca will direct as well, having recently moved behind the camera and tackled episodes of Snowpierecer, Queen of the South, Mayans M.C. and Doom Patrol. There’s certainly some high profile talent involved, and NBC will now look to make the new spin on the source material one of their major priorities when it comes to next year’s lineup of original programming.