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Photos: James Gandolfini, 1961-2013 
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EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has tapped TV scribes Matthew Federman & Stephen Scaia to write the studio’s reboot of the Zorro franchise, which won’t be a remake but an origin tale of the comic book icon based on the 2005 Isabel Allende novel. It will be the latest take on the sword-wielding do-gooder following Sony’s 2005 pic The Legend Of Zorro, starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and directed by Martin Campbell. Federman and Scaia are known for their TV work — their credits include Jericho, Warehouse 13 and Human Target and they currently serve as supervising producers on ABC’s Charlie’s Angels. They also just finished writing a Paris-set World War II action drama being developed by Chernin Entertainment and Fox Television Studios for cable. Zorro will be their second feature effort after adapting River Of Doubt, about Teddy Roosevelt’s 1914 trip down the Amazon River, for Jon Turteltaub’s Junction Entertainment. They are repped by CAA and Mosaic.
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Another remake of “Zorro”?? Why not combine this with Disney’s Lone Ranger remake – at least that will help the mask and hat industry.
But really, does anyone think working on this year’s poorly executed Charlie’s Angels is enough cred to pull this off? Hardly.
Zorro is a classic property and deserves better treatment. It also does not need a reboot so soon after the last one. Oh wait, this is Hollywood – creativity by studio heads isn’t an issue.
…w/J. Depp as both Tonto & Zorro & Geo. Hamilton as Don Alejandro.
You are going to base their creds on Charlie’s Angels. Did you see the other work they have done? Don’t be jealous.
great writers – great job.
Shia LaBeouf, Penn Badgley or Chace Crawford as Diego de la Vega/Zorro
Good call! Why should a Latino dude like the infinitely more talented Gael García Berna play a Latino dude when you can just get an overrated white dude to play him?!
(And spare me the whole he’s supposed to be Spanish thing; ya ever been to Spain?)
Excellent point, si senor. It would be a fantastic opportunity to break out some highly talented young actors that Hollywood has been grooming for exactly this moment. To say to the world, we are not color blind, talent comes in all sizes, shapes and skin colors, actors such as… er… um… you know… what’s his name again? Make up! Get me more tint on Shia’s face!
Two great writers, very well deserved!
ZORRO actually started life not as a comic, but in the “Pulps” (Prose story magazines published weekly,bi-weekly,or monthly_ in 1919 as a 5-part serialized story.
Zorro is not a comic book icon. While there have been moderately popular Zorro comics over the years, the character appeared first in a five-part 1919 serial, The Curse of Capistrano, by Johnston McCulley [adapted for the screen starring Douglas Fairbanks - considered a classic of the silent era and the first film ever made by United Artists, the studio formed by Fairbanks and his wife, Mary Pickford].
VERY excited. Well chose team. Congrats. Can’t wait to see casting announcements.
Very cool. These guys are incredibly talented. Great writers indeed!
A premature reboot at best. The book is only OK. Why doesn’t Sony just reboot SPIDERMAN even before the new one comes out?
Whoohoo Fed and Scaia!
2 reboots, 4 reboots, 6 bits a byte, all for zebras, stand up and say so!
Awesome writers! Can’t wait to hear more from Fed and Scaia! Now, can someone write me into to Zorro Reboot?
NO NO NO NO NO! Usually all the news about reboots and remakes and sequels to old favorites don’t bother me but enough is enough. I know times are tough but someone needs to start thinking outside the box and let the creativity flow again in Hollywood. Who is really making these uncreative, unimaginative decisions?
Shame that the Isabel Allende book is SOOOOOOO BAADDDDD.
Given how many times Hollywood has made Zorro movies and TV shows I don’t quite understand people getting upset but the Martin Campbell movie was very good – even if it’s sequel was nearly unwatchable. The trailer for the Campbell one was one of the best of its era (not that long ago) too.
What was wrong with the 1998 Martin Campbell version?
Isn’t there anything original being written anymore?
Those Charlie’s Angels guys must have good PR people, these comment boards have glowing remarks for producers of a show that was SECOND TO LAST in the ratings and a movie whose concept is so unnecessary and outdated and hilarious that it sounds like a brainstorm from Michael Scott on “The Office”. Mindy Kaling should be writing the Zorro “reboot”.
How anyone could say they would be excited by yet another remake is beyond belief! People that are living in fear to have a new idea in the studio’s show us all how much we miss Steve!!!!! He said to stay away from these types of small minded people. God Bless Steve! And please kick the suits out of the Creative end of out Biz!
SONY SHOULD CONTINUE MARTIN CAMPBELL’S SERIES
Martin Campbell’s series is fantastic. No one can recreate the chemistry Catherine Zeta Jones & Antonio Banderas. I agree the second installment didn’t do well, but Zorro has gained immense following over the years, through TV viewings. Sony should make a third installment. [I can't see Zorro without Catherine Zeta Jones & James Horner's score]
Scary. Not only is their current series horrid and bound to be canceled by Christmas, their previous efforts with the exception of Warehouse 13 (of which they wrote just one episode) have all been canceled after two low-rated seasons. Add that to the fact that the source material here, Allende’s novel, is the slowest-moving origin story in living memory, and you’ve got a pretty poor start already. Hard to imagine Zorro would come to this considering the previous reboot, “Mask of Zorro,” was written by the guys that went on to do “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Still, this will probably be better than Fox’s long-rumored “Zorro Reborn,” set in the future.
That said, this franchise is ripe for a reboot. I loved Banderas in the role but Hopkins is what made “Mask” work, and by this point both Banderas and Zeta-Jones are a little too old for their parts. Not to mention “Legend of Zorro” was laughably bad.
I believe that “The Mask of Zorro” of Catherine, Banderas & A.Hopkins it is a master piece. I am a street performer who portraits Zorro, and I put in to my performance a bit of Guy Williams, Antonio Banderas, Antony Hopkins, Douglas Fairbanks and even George Hamilton touch, of course I want to see a new movie of Zorro that could match ” The Mask of Zorro”,
JP
I have or have seen all the” movies “from Doug Fairbank’s to
the last Antonio/Zeta-Jones, incl. the cartoons & TV shows.
I have read all the books from “The Curse of Capistrano” to
Dynamite’s Vol.3.
Isabel Allende wrote the the most spellbinding and historical book
I could imagine. I am no fan of stringing things out too long (Pirates, and maybe Hobbit)but I think this book cannot be truly
depicted without at least 2, and really, 3 movies.