Zorro Is Going Post-Apocalyptic For His Next Movie

The modern charm of Zorro is that he’s an old fashioned character from another era. He’s pure pulp – a masked, swashbuckling swordsman who acts as Robin Hood to the people of California in the age of colonialism. He’s defined by his very specific time and place, so of course he’s getting sent to the post-apocalypse for a new cinematic reboot. Hooray for Hollywood.

The film in question is Zorro Reborn and The Hollywood Reporter has the story. Plot details are scarce, but we do know that the film will relocate the title character to the “near future,” where he will do the same ol’ thing in a brand-new location.

When you break it down, there actually is some method to this madness. Zorro is, at his core, a hero who fights for justice against a domineering and cruel regime. There’s politics around the fringes of every Zorro adventure whether they’re obvious or not. The producers of this reboot (who are still looking for a director) probably saw the Hunger Games movies, saw how Jennifer Lawrence has made socially conscious heroics in a dystopian future cool with the kids, and decided to follow that template. That’s pure speculation on our part, but politically tinged science fiction that masks its messages with big action and adventure has never been hotter than it is right now.

That doesn’t change the fact that “future Zorro” sounds like mighty iffy. If a traditional Zorro movie is hard to get going to in 2015, will a genre shift really entice new audiences? The last time Zorro hit the big screen with The Legend of Zorro, he made half as much money as its predecessor, The Mask of Zorro. A futuristic re-theme reeks of desperation. Nonetheless, Zorro Reborn should go in front of cameras early next year.