Zorro Unmasked: Joe Begos Sharpens the Legend With a Brutal, Neon-Soaked Edge

Well, file this under "things I didn’t see coming": Joe Begos—the guy who brought you blood-soaked chaos like Almost Human, The Mind’s Eye, Bliss, VFW, and most recently, the gleefully unhinged Christmas Bloody Christmas—is about to put his ultra-violent spin on, of all people, Zorro. Yeah, the fencer in the mask. Only, this time, don’t expect a cape and Spanish guitar. Instead, picture a chainsaw, a black El Camino, and enough weaponry to make The Punisher do a double take. The new movie is called They Call Him Zorro.

What’s the New Zorro All About?

Begos is writing, directing, and producing the film for WTFilms, and their pitch definitely doesn’t sound like any old-school Zorro. Here’s the gist:

• Diego Vega (yes, the original Zorro guy) gets set up by a crew of crooked city officials, lands in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and breaks out ready for payback.
• The movie’s set in present-day Los Angeles, not old California, so instead of a horse, our new Zorro tears around in a black El Camino.
• The signature rapier is replaced with chains, machetes, power tools, and a sawed-off shotgun. Think less swashbuckler, more “what if Charles Bronson cosplayed as Zorro after a bad week?”
• It’ll be shot on 35mm film—a step up from the 16mm Begos usually uses. So expect things to look gritty but slick.

What the Folks Involved Are Saying

The producers are not shy about what vibe they’re aiming for. Gregory Chambet from WTFilms laid it out:

'This is not your parents' Zorro. We're pushing the character into much darker, more violent territory—think The Punisher or The Crow, not Antonio Banderas. Instead of secretly fighting bad guys at night with a witty one-liner and a sword, this Diego Vega comes back full vengeance-mode, and he’s much scarier.'

Begos, meanwhile, is clearly jazzed to turn L.A. into a blood-soaked playground. He said he wants to channel the energy of classic action flicks like T2, Heat, To Live and Die in L.A., RoboCop, and Hard Boiled—but with that Begos brand of practical effects and location work. To sum up: Get ready for big, old-school action set-pieces and a hefty dose of neon-and-blood aesthetics.

Representation Finally Done Right?

Chambet also made it clear they’re actually paying attention to casting. Zorro, after all, is supposed to be a Mexican folk hero, and the producing team says they're looking to make this a role that Latino audiences can actually get excited about. Or, as Chambet put it: 'There aren’t enough great roles for Hispanic actors, and Zorro should be a candidate for turning that around. If kids start dressing up as this new Zorro for Halloween, we’ll know we did something right.'

Where Is This Project Right Now?

WTFilms is still putting the pieces together on financing and casting, so don’t expect a trailer next week. But if everything falls into place, we’ll soon have a version of Zorro who’s more likely to chain-whip a corrupt official than carve a 'Z' in a wall. No word yet on which lucky actor’s going to clean blood off a black El Camino for a couple months, but I’ll keep an eye on it.

Not your typical reboot, to say the least. Let me know in the comments if you’re into the idea of Zorro going full grindhouse, or if you’re hiding your mask in protest.