‘Zorro’ Brings Down Curtain on Unifrance Rendez-Vous

In realizing the latest incarnation of “Zorro,” producer Marc Dujardin found inspiration in the classic 1950s series starring Guy Williams, the absurd premise of super hero tales, and the fond childhood dreams he shared with brother Jean, who portrays the buttoned-up mayor of early 19^th-century Los Angeles, Don Diego de la Vega, and his masked and care-free alter ego.

“Zorro” stormed into La Havre on Thursday, where it closed the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market with a highly anticipated premiere, followed by a dance floor-pumping Alta California-themed fiesta, replete with delectable Spanish and Mexican cuisine à la normande.

Produced by Marc Dujardin’s Le Collectif 64 for France Télévisions and Paramount+, “Zorro” offers a comedic yet straight take on the legendary swashbuckler of old California.

The series sees Don Diego becoming mayor of Los Angeles with the hope of improving his beloved city. Facing growing, unstoppable corruption, however, he decides to again suit up as the dark avenger after having laid down his sword and cape years ago. Balancing his dual identity as both Zorro and mayor is, however, causing strain on his marriage with Gabriella, who is unaware of his secret.

While Marc was convinced that his brother was ideal for the part, Jean was not on board from the beginning.

“Everybody in France new the real actor to play Zorro was Jean, but the most important thing was to find a good angle to re-visit, to renew Zorro, because we couldn’t to a parody – a parody lasts 15 minutes, then it’s over.”

Jean said, “Do whatever you want and in the end, if it’s good, I will do it,” Marc recalls.    

“I then read a lot of things about super heroes. I read an article, it was an English article, and it made me laugh a lot. It was about how being a super hero costs a lot of money because of all the destruction they cause. It’s really a problem.”

Marc came to the conclusion that Zorro offered “simple answers to very complex issues. That’s stupid –he’s a populist!”

In contrast, Diego, the mayor of Los Angeles, is a technocrat, “a bit like Macron,” Marc explains. While he tries to improve living conditions for his citizens, “he never finds his way into people’s hearts. Zorro, on the hand, knows how to talk to people but without any consequences. What I love too is schizophrenia.” Diego finds himself being dominated by the creature Zorro, who he cannot control.

Marc discussed his treatment and ideas with writers Benjamin Charbit and Noé Debré. “I really wanted them to write it. They are so brilliant. They were absolutely my first choice.”

“They found something interesting in it, in its elements of vaudeville. They wrote it and its totally crazy but very serious, very precise. Everything appears very serious.”

It is that precise comedy that sets the show apart from previous versions of Zorro, Marc stresses. “It’s comedy. The wife of Diego is in love with Zorro and she doesn’t know that Diego is Zorro. This is a big problem. And Diego hates Zorro. He hates the situation. It’s totally schizophrenic.”   

Explaining why his brother is ideal for the role, Marc says, “I’m just going to repeat Jean’s own words: Because it’s closing part of his childhood. He has always dreamt of playing Zorro but it never came. He was dreaming of it at 20, at 30, at 40, but at 50 – no, okay, it’s dead. But then this one finally arrived.”

Expressing his thoughts on why Zorro has remained popular over the past century, Marc stresses that “he is deeply rooted in the childhood consciousness, very deeply rooted.”  

He notes that Émilie Noblet, who directed “Zorro” along with Jean-Baptiste Saurel, felt very close to the character because she too used to watch the classic series on TV with her grandfather.

“It reminds us of our childhood. And Zorro was the first super hero, being written in 1919 [by Johnston McCulley].”

Indeed, the popularity of Zorro is evident in the countless incarnations that have graced the big and small screens for more than century. The character has been portrayed by such stars as Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Guy Williams, Frank Langella, Alain Delon, George Hamilton, Duncan Regehr and, in the same movie, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas.

Despite the cinematic pedigree of many of those versions, it was the 1950s Disney TV series starring Williams that aired in France in the 1970s and ’80s that was the most special to the Dujardins.

“The inspiration of Zorro comes directly from the TV,” says Marc. “That was the real Zorro for us. He’s always smiling, he’s always happy. It’s a very shiny Zorro — he’s dark, because he’s out at night, but he’s shiny – everything is fun. The real Zorro is Guy Williams!”

Amazon Prime Video and Mediawan Rights recently introduced another new version from Spain’s Secuoya Studios, starring Miguel Bernardeau as a younger Zorro. For France Télévisions and France TV Distribution, it’s not an issue.

“It’s very different,” says Julia Schulte, senior VP of international sales for France TV Distribution. “For us, our ‘Zorro’ is the most perfect, feel-good TV that you could imagine. It’s mainstream family entertainment with a comedy aspect.”

“We have Paramount as a partner, but it will also work massively on linear TV because it’s the one brand that you would want a linear TV station to bring out as an event,” she adds.

“Zorro” was shot entirely in Spain, interiors in Toledo and exteriors in Almeria, where the crew built a Western town not far from where Sergio Leone shot his “Dollars” trilogy with Clint Eastwood in the 1960s, Marc notes.