The Mask of Zorro: The Definitive Zorro adaptation?

The “swashbuckling adventure” is a subgenre that became more and more antiquated as the spectacle of action movies evolved. It probably has less of an edge over westerns since the latter can still rely on gunplay, but sword-fighting films have roots in Hollywood since the golden era with movies like Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and countless Pirate films. It was the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that brought swashbucklers into a whole new world with modern audiences. 

However, 1998 would see the return of a legendary folk hero, both in the context of the story and in the world of cinema, when Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment produced the Martin Campbell film The Mask of Zorro.

The History

Zorro was created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley. And amazingly this property (that’s over a hundred years old) still has influence on a bevy of popular characters that still goes strong today. Many of his traits resemble ones used for modern day superheroes. Especially someone like Batman. You have the wealthy socialite who uses his status as a disguise, but also becomes a combative folk hero wearing a mask and a cape, and fights for the down-trodden against a corrupt system. He even has a cave lair that is undeniably a precursor to the Bat cave.

The character became engrained in pop culture with pulp comics and film adaptations with Golden Era Hollywood stars — like Douglas Fairbanks in the 20s and Tyrone Power in the 40s. The dashing figure would even find an audience in the growing medium of television in the 50s with a show from Walt Disney. The brand slightly had a decline in the 70s, and even with movies like Zorro, the Gay Blade in the 80s, the property’s popularity had waned. However, with such a rich history, the rights-holders would not let the icon fade into the darkness.

The Filmmakers

Steven Spielberg was in the middle of filming a movie that would breathe its own bit of life into swashbuckling films with 1991’s Hook for TriStar Pictures. It was at this time that the head of the studio approached him about getting involved with a possible Zorro film. Spielberg jumped at the notion, and when the heads of Zorro Productions — John Gertz and Nancy Larson — were looking to revive the brand, TriStar attracted them to their company with the promise that Spielberg would be involved. 

Larson had initially written a screenplay that attracted the interests of the studios while it was getting developed, but after they found a home at TriStar, more writers were brought in to take the script through newer drafts. Randall Jahnson, who was coming off of the Oliver Stone film The Doors, was partnered up with Aladdin scribes, Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio, to refine the film’s story. Elliot & Rossio would then work with John Eskow, whose credits include Air America and Pink Cadillac. They would work on what would become the film’s screenplay. 

Although Spielberg closely oversaw the elements that came into alignment for the film, he would not choose to direct it, so the producers were looking for someone who could smartly update Zorro for modern audiences. The film went through a few choices, like Mikael Salomon, who had helmed A Far Off Place for Disney, but he couldn’t agree with the studio on the budget. Then, they looked at Robert Rodriguez. Unfortunately, Rodriguez’s ideas for the movie were more violent than what they were going for, as he pitched things like Zorro lobbing off the heads of baddies. Ironically, there is a notable decapitation in the movie, but it’s by a sinister villain and Zorro himself remains more honorable. Finally, the producers went to Martin Campbell, because had recently taken on the similar task of reinventing an old-fashioned character for the 90s when he directed Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye for a new era of James Bond.

The Cast

The Mask of Zorro had a unique spin on the origin plot because it’s a “passing of the torch” story.The Zorro in the original books was Don Diego de la Vega, but in this film, Don Diego is an elder Zorro who’s ready to have a pupil take over the legacy and look after the people of Mexico. For someone of this magnitude who the producers thought would bring a proper nobility to the character, Anthony Hopkins was approached to play the aging legend. However, at the time, Hopkins was suffering from a bad back that the actor felt would physically hinder him to play Zorro and he passed on the offer. Fortunately, while the project was still being developed, Hopkins, who was filming The Edge at the time, got laser surgery on his back which made it as good as new and he was able to come back around and play Don Diego de la Vega for the film.

In the original Zorro backstory, Don Diego was the son of a nobleman named Don Alejandro. But, for the film, the lore was switched up a bit so that Diego’s apprentice becomes a former street hustler who sported the name Alejandro. For this role, it was no question for the creative team to get Antonio Banderas. Just a few years earlier, Banderas would hit the action scene with Desperado, which was made by the former director-in-consideration Robert Rodriguez. The filmmakers knew Banderas was tailor-made for the film as he was proven to be dashing, physical, humorous, romantic and theatrical. He perfectly embodied everything they were looking for in a modern day interpretation.

Part of the old-school adventure in The Mask of Zorro was the romance element and the filmmakers lucked out on an amazing breakthrough talent. When it came to throwing around names for the female starring role, at one point, the producers were thinking of Cameron Diaz, but a fateful night had Steven Spielberg discover Catherine Zeta-Jones while watching a Titanic TV mini-series she had done in the past. Spielberg and everyone wanted Zeta-Jones for the role after thinking she had this magnetizing Latin look. She was seductive, as well as warm. I, like many people who discovered her through Zorro, was surprised to learn that Zeta-Jones was actually Welsh. So, in addition to the horse riding training, the stunt training, the sword fight training and the dancing training, she also had to learn the Spanish dialect.The chemistry between Zeta-Jones and Banderas proved to be undeniable and scorched up the movie’s sexiness.

The main villain in the film went to Stuart Wilson, who plays Rafael Montero. Campbell and Wilson aimed to make Montero more of a misguided villain than a mustache twirler. He was someone that strived for greatness, yet couldn’t help but indulge in his more sadistic traits when it came to his pride and his appetite, so it didn’t matter to him what cost he had to pay. Years earlier, Wilson had previously joined a couple franchises with notable villainous performances with Lethal Weapon 3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. 

Montero would work with an American liaison, Captain Love, who was described by Campbell as a “straight-back military man who had a warped sense of honor.” The role would go to Matt Letscher, who is no stranger to period war films with credits in Gettysburg and, later, Gods and Generals. Letscher said that he and the filmmakers were inspired by a young General Custer and modeled Captain Love to be dashing and heroic while also making him crazy and evil.

The Action

The reinvention of Zorro for the modern audiences meant filming some of the most spectacular sequences the franchise has ever offered. Campbell showed that he has an eye for fantastic action as proven by beloved scenes in Goldeneye and in a later Bond movie, Casino Royale. This film would be no exception. The sword master on the film was Bob Anderson. Anderson had stunt credits that dated back to the 50s with movies that starred Errol Flynn, as well as working on movies like The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Anderson and his team trained with the cast and were impressed with how passionate and competitive they would get. Banderas even did some training with the Spanish olympic fencing team for two or three months. 

The essence of Zorro is in his name, which translates to “fox” in English. The character isn’t only an expert sword-fighter, but he is also like the Spider-man of his day, where he can be cunning and agile in fighting his enemies, as well as out-smarting them. So, audiences got to see the full capabilities of Zorro thanks to Glenn Randall Jr., who arranged the stunts and had him doing some amazing acrobatic moves that were incorporated into the fight scenes. 

The Reception

The Mask of Zorro was released in July of 1998 and received a predominantly positive critical reception, citing how much of a throwback it was to the old days of Hollywood. The film became a commercial success with a worldwide gross of over $250 million on a $95 million budget. The film was ripe for a new franchise, but unfortunately, it’s follow-up, The Legend of Zorro wouldn’t be as successful with a lower global earning. This sequel came out 7 years after the original, after the iron had cooled and critics cited the “troubled marriage” plot to be underwhelming.

While there haven’t been any movies to revamp the brand ever since, there have been international TV shows from both Spain and France that tackled the property as recent as 2024. And a planned Disney series with Wilmer Valderrama is reportedly on the way. It seems like fans will have to be patient for news on a new movie reboot, but when the world needs a hero, he will ride again.