It’s taken almost two decades and countless failed attempts along the way, but a Zorro reboot has finally been shot, with the legendary swordsman and iconic mask-wearing hero of the people finally on his way back to screens for the first time since 2005.
Stepping into the shoes last filled by Antonio Banderas in the disappointing sequel to his all-time great introduction as the swashbuckling vigilante is Miguel Bernardeau, best known for his role in Netflix series Elite, which recently set a brand new record as the streaming service’s first-ever original show to be renewed for an eighth season.
A spicy teen drama is a million miles away from an action-packed period piece, though, with the actor opening up to Variety about his experience of bringing the iconic figure back to life.
“It was a difficult decision and a long shoot. At first, I was thinking about Zorro being this iconic character, but I decided to leave it behind. If I was going to do this, I wanted to have fun. And you can’t have fun if you are constantly wondering if you are copying someone else. I just saw him as a character I wanted to play. Someone my younger self would surely admire. I like these first episodes.
They show how he is becoming a man, discovering all these secrets from the past. He is thinking about where he came from, but also about who he can become, which is something I understand. It was hard. I actually discovered that action sequences are not that playful. It stopped being fun somewhere around the fifth month!”
The latest version of Zorro is currently making the rounds to sell itself to prospective buyers, and has been acquired by several outlets already, so the chance is there for the series to find itself a massive audience when it finally makes its worldwide rollout to bring the title hero back to the forefront after a lengthy sabbatical.