Joe Begos Turns Zorro Into an Ultra Violent Vigilante in ‘They Call Him Zorro’!

Cult horror filmmaker Joe Begos, the filmmaker behind all sorts of indie gems from Bliss to Christmas Bloody Christmas, VFW, and last year’s Jimmy and Siggs, is teaming with WTFilms on a brutal new reimagining of Zorro titled They Call Him Zorro, reports Deadline.

When Diego Vega is framed by a group of dirty city officials for a crime he didn’t commit, he escapes from prison and starts a relentless no-holds-barred vengeance on corruption and crime in present-day Los Angeles. The media quickly finds a name for the masked vigilante riding a black El Camino, armed with chains, machetes, an electric saw, and a sawed-off shotgun: Zorro.

“This is not your parents’ Zorro. In our iteration, the masked folk hero has more to do with dark and violent characters such as The Punisher or The Crow,” said WTFilms co-head and producer Gregory Chambet.

“What if instead of being a coward by day, sword-yielding funny scoundrel by night, Diego Vega came back for vengeance in the form of a scary, brutal vigilante.”

The partners say the picture will draw on the original writings of Johnston McCulley, who first introduced Zorro in his 1919 novel The Curse of Capistrano, but through a horror lens.

“All of my favorite action movies, from T2 to Heat were shot on location in Los Angeles, and it’s always been a dream of mine to inhabit the same cultural playground to stage some of the most high octane and explosive set pieces imaginable, and this project is the perfect opportunity to showcase the beauty of the city, the beauty of its culture, and pull off some old school practical action filmmaking bathed in the crisp golden hour glow of Hollywood,” said Begos.

Begos previously shot all his films on 16mm, and the plan is to shoot They Call Him Zorro on 35mm.

“We want to bring back the feel and visual texture of action references such as To Live and Die in L.A., RoboCop, or Hard Boiled,” he said.

“There is a lack of roles for talented Hispanic actors,” adds Chambet. “Zorro is a Mexican character and we want to create a badass icon that makes the Latino community excited and proud.