Posted in: Movies, News | Tagged: Alex Rivera, johnston mcculley, Sobini Films, zorro, Zorro 2.0

Zorro 2.0: Alex Rivera Set to Write and Direct for Sobini Films

Writer and director Alex Rivera is set to front Zorro 2.0, a reimagining of the classic swashbuckling hero for Sobini Films that follows adventures of Oscar de la Vega, a young, undocumented hacker known as 'Z0rr0'. The latest spin on the iconic character originally created by Johnston McCulley in 1919 in this modern take is that he fights back against a secret government unit that attacked his mother only to discover that there's a high-tech conspiracy that threatens not only his family, but also the world.

"I've always been interested in films that address real-world issues through genre," Rivera told Deadline Hollywood. "This project is an opportunity to connect Zorro—the original masked avenger—to today's border wars, a conflict in which immigrant families are pitted against regimes of hi-tech surveillance and government control. 'Zorro 2.0' will be visually elevated, socially grounded, sci-fi cinema, and I'm thrilled to be working with Sobini to get this vision on the screen."

Sobini Films' Mark Amin, Cami Winikoff, and Tyler Boehm will produce. Zorro Productions International's John Gertz and Amasia Entertainment's Michael Helfant will serve as executive producers. McCulley's Zorro is recognized by his all-black costume with a sombrero, cape and mask fighting injustice wherever it comes. The character has been adapted across several media and portrayed on screen across generations most famously by the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, and Frank Langella. The most recent cinematic incarnation in 1998's The Mask of Zorro was played by Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins for Sony. Banderas reprised his role for the 2005 sequel The Legend of Zorro. There's currently a Zorro television adaptation in development for NBC from Robert Rodriguez and Sophia Vergara with a planned female lead in the title role. Rivera made his feature debut in 2008's sci-fi film Sleep Dealer. He followed up with the doc/scripted hybrid in 2019's The Infiltrators.

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