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Zorro: Wilmer Valderrama Attached to Star, EP Disney Branded Series

Published Tue, 14 Dec 2021 11:23:11 -0600

The adventures of Zorro will be making their way to the small screen once again, with Wilmer Valderrama attached to star in and executive produce a live-action series currently in development through Disney Branded Entertainment. The That '70s Show & NCIS star would play Don Diego de la Vega and his masked swashbuckling alter ego in the days of Spanish California. Valderrama would executive produce the project alongside Gary Marsh (outgoing president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television) and John Gertz of Zorro Productions Inc. "Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero," Valderrama said when the news was first announced. "As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary and Disney to bring Zorro back into the family after 60 years and be a part of the legacy for other children to know they too can be the heroes of their own stories is a dream come true."

As mentioned previously, the upcoming series adaptation is far from the famed hero's first time on the big or small screens. In the 1950s, ABC aired a series that starred Guy Williams as well as Gene Sheldon, George J. Lewis, and Henry Calvin. The series would go on to run from 1957 and 1959, clocking in a total of 78 episodes between 1957 and 1959 (with four hour-long episodes airing in the early 1960s). "We're reimagining this Disney classic as a compelling period piece, set in Pueblo de Los Angeles, but told in a very modern telenovela style — with richly drawn contemporary characters and relationships set against the action, drama, suspense and humor of the original, iconic Zorro," said Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television. "Wilmer shares our commitment to reflect the interesting and rich diversity of the human experience and we look forward to delivering a culturally relevant and entertaining story with definitional characters that will connect with our viewers for generations to come."

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