For a long time it’s felt that Gael Garcia Bernal was on the edge of becoming a really big star, but for one reason or another, it’s never quite happened. However he may now have his best chance yet to hit the a-list as Variety reports that he’s in talks to play the Spanish swordsman, Zorro, in Fox’s Zorro Reborn.
The idea behind the reboot is to take Zorro into a post-apocalyptic era. The story will not be set in California or Mexico, but a futuristic wasteland, with Bernal as a masked vigilante bent on revenge. The film was written by Glenn Gers with help from Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy.
The movie’s not the only Zorro flick around, as Sony (which made the Antonio Banderas Zorro movies) is developing an origin story about the Mexican American hero, based on Isabel Allende’s 2005 novel simply called Zorro.
Fox’s take is still in early development and is currently looking for a director. Bernal would seem to be a very good choice for the lead role, as he has the right mix of charm and bravado for the part.