Gael García Bernal To Play Zorro In Futuristic Reboot 'Z'
"Mozart in the Jungle" star Gael García Bernal will play the role of sword-wielding crime-fighter Zorro in an upcoming reboot from director Jonás Cuarón.
The film, which is set in the near future, will be titled "Z," Deadline has learned. It reimagines the legend of the iconic swashbuckler, the legendary character created in 1919 as a hero representing the rural class in the Spanish colonization of California.
"Z" marks the reunion of García Bernal and Cuarón, who recently worked together on "Desierto," an immigration thriller which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 and is slated for release by STX Entertainment later this year.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Cuarón, who wrote the script for "Z," introduced the film in Berlin earlier this year. It will be executive produced by Cami Winikoff and will begin production at the Pinewood studios in the Dominican Republic this fall.
García Bernal, whose work on "Mozart in the Jungle" earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor this year, is also famously known for starring in the films "Babel" (2006), "The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004), and "Y Tu Mamá También" (2001), which Jonás' father, Alfonso, directed.
The actor was associated with "Z" more than a decade ago when the project was called "Zorro Reborn" and other directors were involved. Since then, he has been attached on and off to the reboot.
In a statement about García Bernal's casting in "Z," Mark Amin, CEO of production company Sobini Films, said (via Deadline), "I have always loved Gael for this role."
"Zorro is a hero who is charming, witty and clever," he added. "Gael possesses all those characteristics and he's able to deliver them with a modern spin to introduce the Zorro character to a new audience."
In an interview with Vulture in 2013, García Bernal talked about the possibility of starring in a "Zorro" reboot. "I've never done a big studio movie like [Zorro]," he said. "So I'm kind of curious to see what it is like. It looks kind of fun. Why not?"
The official release date for "Z" has not been announced.
