MovieChat Forums > The Mask of Zorro (1998) Discussion > A NEW ZORRO NEEDS TO BE MADE

A NEW ZORRO NEEDS TO BE MADE

posted 16 years ago by ciminoproductions
25 replies | jump to latest

I'm a huge fan of Zorro movies. Tyrone Power's was the first classic, I recently bought the Guy Williams series(one of the best) the Dunchan regier family channel series was entertaining,and I really loved The Mask of Zorro. (the sequel was okay, but not as good) Anyways, I think they need to make a Don Diego DeLaVega origin story. I like Banderas, but Alejandro Murrietta is not the original Zorro. I think the movie should start with a young Diego leaving for Spain, learning his thing in Spain, and then returning and becoming Zorro in Los Angeles. Almost like a "Batman Begins" Zorro story. I'm not sure who to cast, but I think it should take a lot from the old guy williams Disney series. sergent Garcia for comic relief,(maybe played by Cheech marin or george Lopez) and Bernardo the mute ally of Diego. Just a thought anyways.

[–] francisco533 16 years ago

It's a good ideia but I think it's going to be a great challenge to the actor who will play Diego De la Vega. We are used to Tyrone Power, Guy Williams and Duncan Regher.
That's one of the positive things about "Mask of Zorro". It's not the tradicional story. So Hopkins' character is seen more like an older Power, Williams or Regher. That's brilliant.
I love this movie, it is one of my favorite and, we can't compare Antonio Banderas' Zorro to the older ones cause he is not the same character.

But, like you say, it would be interesting to have a origin. But it's going to be very hard to forget the other "Diegos".
As a huge Zorro fan I would be very pleased to see another version. The director could be Martin Campbell. I think that he will be the best choice to direct "the origin."

[–] ciminoproductions 16 years ago

Agreed, all the earlier Zorro's were great. I loved the Mask of Zorro as well. i thought Banderas and Hopkins were great in it. But once Diego died, it lost it's heart. Thus why Legend of Zorro wasn't as good, it was missing Diego de la vega. I don't know who could play Diego in an origin story. Banderas would of been great had he not played Alejandro Murrieta, but even that was 11 years ago, Banderas would be too old now. I wish the powers that be, make an origin Zorro story with this story line:

Los Angeles, the Dela Vega's are set up, perhaps having a goodbye party for diego as he lkeaves for Spain. We see the secret passages abnd cave under the house that only Diego(not even his father) has known about since he was a boy.

He says goodbye to his childhood love Esperanza, and has some harsh words with Montero, his rival for Esperanza.

Diego goes to Spain and trains under Sir Edmund Kendal.

He meets his mute friend bernardo in Spain. He is called back by his father to los Angeles.

Kendal accompanies Diego and Bernardo to the ship that's headed for California. Kendal is attacked by some poeple he owes money to. Diego and Kendal fight off the people but kendal is mortally wounded. Kendal gives Diego his sword and tells Diego to make him proud using it. Kendal dies in Diego's arms.

Diego and Bernardo arive in Los Angeles. Montero is now the evil commondante of Los angeles. He is aided by the very funny comic relief of Sergent garcia.

Diego acts the part of the weakling, displeasing Esperanzo who wants a man of action. Diego still loves her but can not pursue her, as he concentrates on righting injustices as Zorro.

Just a very rough thought.

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 10 years ago

I knew that there were earlier Zorros but I had not watched any of them. The 2nd Zorro by Banderas wasn't as good, not because Diego wasn't in it but because the story simply was not as intense nor better written than the first. I

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[–] jesse-acosta 15 years ago

The best Zorro origin story is Isabel Allende's Novel, Zorro. If they could produce a movie to the quality of Count of Monte Cristo, but with the story directly adapted from Isabel Allende's novel, it would be a masterpiece of cinema.

[–] pitsburghfuzz 15 years ago

I got a title: Zorro: Legend of the Fox, or: Zorro: Origin of the Fox

Its's alive! It's alive!

[–] Chief_Inspector_Clouseau 15 years ago

i agree there has to be an origin for Diego de la Vega. He is after all, to all intents and purposes the MAIN Zorro. Alejandro is, as you said, just added for the movies.

But who could play young Diego?

"Okey Dokey"

[–] renacatt 14 years ago

I agree with jesse, if movie makers ever do a Zorro origin story, they simply must do Allende's Zorro. If just reading the book blow's your mind, imagine if they could successfully bring that to the screen. Provided of course, they don't mess it up the way other producers messed up book-to-movie adaptations.

[–] ultratvfan 14 years ago

The origin story? As in how Don Diego de la Vega became Zorro? The Mark of Zorro with Tyrone Power shows how he became Zorro.

[–] Tsiakkos 14 years ago

I would like an origin story of Zorro like it's depicted in Isabelle Allende's novel "Zorro". The best origin story by far. I highly recommend to anyone that hasn't read the novel and is intrested in Zorro to start from there.

[–] cmap2 14 years ago

You're nuts. Allende's novel was PC trash that not only played fast and inexcusably loose with the character's background and personality, but was intolerably boring. The Allende novel is rightly reviled by Zorro aficionados.

Allende's non-canon story ranks alongside Mark Winegardner's "The Godfather's Revenge" as the biggest hatched jobs to a beloved franchise.

[–] Tsiakkos 14 years ago

Ok troll, I am nuts you say? All the decent reviewers out there praise this book as one of the best alternative stories to Zoro's origin and you are trying to say is trash? What are your credentials sir? Are you backing your opinion? Or are you just trying to troll with impressive words? I redirect all readers to just type in Google "Isabel Allende's Zoro review" judje on your own. Or if you don't have the time to do this here's a link http://apps.metacritic.com/books/authors/allendeisabel/zorro. The only critics that bash the book are just haters of Isabelle Allende thrying to critisize her style of writing. Immature is a word you can describe them.

[–] sarizonana 13 years ago

i agree
every generation who loves zorro its because they had a zorro movie made made for them
i Loved the mask of zorro and Antonio Banderas was great but the new Teens dont care for Him.

the prove is with my younger Cousins
the Youngest one who loves justin Bieber saw the movie and liked it but she said banderas was ugly
Firts i was like, what???????? are you Kidding me ??

the only problem to make a new zorro movie would be the cast because right now i cant see any of younger actors as zorro

[–] sarizonana 13 years ago

Ok good news to everyone
A new Zorro will be made

For everyone who asked an Origins story based on Novel Written by Isabelle Allende the news get much better
This how it will be done

So the the only thing we need to wait for is the cast rumors.

[–] CapitanJusticia 13 years ago

I'd like to see a Zorro movie filmed completely in Spanish so it would feel more authentic. There are plenty of great Latin American actors who would make a great Zorro.

Btw, Isabel Allende's Zorro novel was loosely adapted as a telenovela for Telemundo in 2007 and became a huge international hit. It had a lot of interesting things such as 'gypsies, slaves, clerics, cannibals, conspirators, rebellious Indians and Amazon warriors, along with Spanish settlers, soldiers, pirates and mestizo peasants'. And it was pretty cool to finally see Zorro actually speaking Spanish. The locations in Colombia, where it was filmed, were also breathtaking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorro:_La_Espada_y_la_Rosa

[–] sarizonana 13 years ago

I have to disagree with you about telemundos's soap opera
I saw a few parts of it and it was horrible.
The actor who played Zorro is not as charming and sexy as Antonio Banderas and I didnt like the actress who played Esmeralda either.
She is pretty but not stunning like Catherine Zeta Jones(the mask of zorro) or Linda Darnel (the mark of zorro)

A zorro movie in Spanish could be fine but it wouldnt be internationally successful

[–] red_rackham_77 12 years ago

My idea for a Zorro film seems too complicated, this one was great for laughs but I wished there was more detective investigations, and scientific research and with the action and romance. And would have it been wrong to make it an all Latino cast and dub it entirely spainish?

"Almost like a "Batman Begins" Zorro story."

I would have loved to see that, I wonder what would have Nolan do if he was asked to make the Zorro movies? Or maybe the people that made Pan's Labyrinth, I don't know just something really awsome like that.

[–] dan-willi84 11 years ago

Or they could do a 3rd one with Antonio Banderas playing Zorro one last time and he passes the flame onto his son, Joquain, hence a new trilogy of Zorro films, and they could make the 2nd trilogy, darker like "Batman Begins". Better than a reboot set in a post apocalyptic future.

[–] Fusion72 11 years ago

Why not just fast forward it and have him being the mentor to his son, who is avenging his father for not being the best Zorro he could be to the people of Spain. Banderas and Zeta-Jones can have small background roles, with the son caught up in his own dramas and the responsiabilty of the mask.

[–] dan-willi84 11 years ago

Yes. That is exactly what I was talking about.

[–] Thread_Killer_of_IMDb 11 years ago

Can't believe no one has mentioned the Alain Delon version from 1975.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072448/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_40

He was pretty awesome in it, but Tyrone Power is the best I've ever seen. Guy Williams was fine, but I really hated Duncan Regehr's version. Banderas and Hopkins were both great, but the fact that Banderas wasn't Don Diego kind of took away from the fun a bit.

Probably kinda weird, but I prefer my Zorro without the mustache for some reason! Something about it being an identifier.

Thread_Killer_of_IMDb is out there. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until your post is dead.

[–] LadyN1 11 years ago

Thinking about it either they should

1) remake it as a live action tv series but really go there have it be sort of dark. really explore some of the themes in zorro such as the way the poor are treated by the powerful, expand on Diego's character see him struggle with being Zorro the demand it has and it's sort of a silly nitpick as I'm not a purist but Zorro's love interest is not Esmeralda a gypsy (if I remember the novella she was part gypsy or something wasn't she?) not Elena or Esperanza the original book gives him a perfectly fine love interest in LOLITA.
Make it sexy not one of the driving forces like in Tudors where everyone is at it /S but don't shy away from the fact that Diego is a young man with desires like anyone else, Zorro the hero is a senusal character. Wh I mean the novella had Diego coming to Esmeralda at night both as Zorro and as Diego.

2) As others have said reboot the whole thing from scratch do a three arc movie about Diego

the first one could be about how the journey to become Zorro introduce Lolita, Garcia, Bernado etc
the second about Diego controlling the balance between the two and the third about Zorro could be a symbol of revolution resulting in a civil/class war type thing where the Alcade or whatever system of tyrannical government is the antagonist being destroyed by the power of the people with Zorro.

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