Why Hollywood Hasn’t Made A Real Zorro Movie In 80 Years

Hollywood hasn’t made a “real” Zorro movie in 80 years. The popular pulp hero made his film debut in 1920’s Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks as the titular swordsman, and has appeared several times since. Most recently, he was played by Antonio Banderas in 1998’s The Mask of Zorro and the 2005 sequel, The Legend of Zorro.

Zorro was first conceived in a series of serials titled The Curse of Capistrano, first published in 1919. Zorro, whose name means “Fox” in Spanish, is traditionally a dashing, black-clad vigilante who fights with a sword and a whip, and rides a black horse. His stories are set in 1800s Spanish-controlled California, where he fights injustices against the people of Los Angeles. Zorro is hailed as a righteous protector of the people who protects them from the corrupt soldiers who seek to control and bully them. Under the mask is respected and distinguished citizen Diego da le Vega, the son of a nobleman. After mastering the sword while attending a university in Spain, Diego returned to his home in Los Angeles and developed the heroic alter ego of “Zorro”.

His story has been accurately adapted to the small screen in various TV shows and a TV movie, but none of the Zorro movies made by Hollywood in the last 80 years have even attempted to properly tell Diego de la Vega’s story. 1981’s Zorro, The Gay Blade was a parody film about Zorro’s son. The movies starring Antonio Banderas offer a whole new protagonist in the form of an outlaw named Alejandro Murietta, and provide him with a new adventure and backstory to boot. In Mask of Zorro, Alejandro is set up to be the new Zorro after he is trained by a much older version of the original Zorro, played by Anthony Hopkins.

This problem extends to what’s currently happening with Zorro as well. The next Zorro movie on the horizon is Z, a post-apocalyptic film which will follow a reimagined version of the classic sword-wielding vigilante. Quentin Tarantino is working on a crossover movie that will team Zorro with Django. Even if this uses the correct version of Zorro, it’s unlikely to follow the formula of a traditional Zorro film, considering that he’ll be sharing the spotlight with another character.

The last time Hollywood made a movie about the real Zorro was in 1940, when 20th Century Fox released Mark of Zorro, a movie that put A-list actor Tyrone Power in the title role of Diego de la Vega, a seemingly conceited and stuck-up nobleman who moonlights as a swordsman. His dashing persona of Zorro captures the heart of Linda Darnell’s Lolita, who ironically finds Diego’s behavior repulsive. Modern Zorro movies have moved away both from these story elements and from Diego de la Vega in general. It would seem that the reason why audiences haven’t been treated to a proper Zorro story in such a long time is owed to Hollywood’s constant interest in reinventing the character. Filmmakers have been so focused on providing a fresh new take on the hero that it’s now been 80 years since a real Zorro movie has been made.

About The Author