It seems that Zorros are like busses these days. After waiting years for a new take on the character, it looks like Disney’s reboot of the 50’s Zorro series is about to get some direct competition over at The CW. The network that is home to several DC projects and many young audiences attracting properties is developing their gender-swapped version of Zorro with the help of Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez. The female-led series was last year part of NBC’s development cycle but has seemingly moved home and added Sean Tretta into the mix.
Deadline reports that the new take on the Zorro legend will see a young Latinx woman out for revenge after her father is killed. She joins a secret society and takes on the identity of Zorro. The story is reportedly unchanged from the Rodriguez’s intended NBC version, but Tretta, who has a deal with CBS Studios, joined the team to write the script this time around. The timing of the project is quite impressive as it comes hot on the heels of news that Disney is moving ahead with their own reboot of the masked vigilante.
The brother and sister team of Robert and Rebecca Rodriguez will work as executive producers on the show, while Tretta will act as showrunner. Production company Propagate first laid out plans to reboot the Zorro franchise with a female lead back in 2019 when they signed their deal with CBS Studios and a version scripted by Alfredo Barrios Jr. was set up with NBC. A year later, the Rodriguez siblings joined the project, along with Sofia Vergara as executive producer, but she has left the project before this latest movie of the studio.
Zorros Come In All Shapes And Sizes But Is There Room For Competing Versions?
Last month saw the news that Wilmer Valderrama had been cast in the role of Zorro for Disney Branded Television, a remake of the 1950s ABC series which starred Guy Williams as the swashbuckler and ran for 78 episodes between 1957 and 1959. Valderrama revealed that the project is one that has a personal meaning to him, having grown up with the character as a role model.
“Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero,” Valderrama said previously. “As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary [Marsh] 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.”
In addition to this, a modern take on the character, Zorro 2.0, was also announced at the end of 2021, which would see the character depicted as a computer hacker and is said to be shooting soon.
While fans of Zorro will have to be given a chance to choose whether a classic take on the character, a gender-swapped version or a completely modern re-imagining wins the day, one thing for sure is that there will only be one winner in the battle of the Zorros, and it is going to be a tough call as to which will come out on top in the three-way duel.