Zorro is back! First appearing in Johnston McCulley’s 1919 novella, The Curse of Capistrano, the iconic character has captured readers’ imaginations for decades. Filmmaker Joe Begos (Bliss) and WTFilms are teaming up for They Call Him Zorro, a horror reimagining of the legendary character.
“This is not your parents’ Zorro,” said WTFilms co-head and producer Gregory Chambet. “In our iteration, the masked folk hero has more to do with dark and violent characters such as The Punisher or The Crow. What if instead of being a coward by day, sword-yielding funny scoundrel by night, Diego Vega came back for vengeance in the form of a scary, brutal vigilante.”
They Call Him Zorro centers around Diego Vega, a man framed for a crime by crooked city officials. After he escapes prison, he goes on a rampage against corruption and crime in present-day Los Angeles. The media dubs the vigilante using chains, machetes, electric saws, and a sawed-off shotgun to exact revenge, Zorro.
Who Will Play Zorro
The crew is still on the hunt for the perfect leading man for the role. “There is a lack of roles for talented Hispanic actors,” Chambet said. “Zorro is a Mexican character and we want to create a badass icon that makes the Latino community excited and proud. We will have done our job right if people start dressing up as this new version of Zorro for Halloween.’
Begos will write, direct, and co-produce through Channel 83. He has shot his previous films on 16mm, but plans to shoot They Call him Zorro on 35mm.
“We want to bring back the feel and visual texture of action references such as To Live and Die in L.A., RoboCop, or Hard Boiled,” Begos explains.
This early into development there is no release window set for They Call Him Zorro just yet. We’ll keep you posted on updates about the project as they develop.
