Wilmer Valderrama has had a nice couple of years working with The Walt Disney Company. The actor recently voiced characters in Pixar’s Onward and this year’s Encanto. Though fans know Valderrama best for his role as Fez in the hit television show That 70s Show. Now, he set to lead a new show for Disney.
According to Variety, Wilmer Valderrama is attached to star in and executive produce a live-action Zorro series, which is currently in development for Disney Branded Television. He would play the lead role of Don Diego de la Vega and his swashbuckling alter ego, the masked horseman known as Zorro, in the days of Spanish California.
Read: EXCLUSIVE: A New Original Film Titled ‘The Waitlist’ In The Works At Disney+
The show is a reimagining of the Disney-owned ABC Zorro series starring Guy Williams that aired in the 1950s. That show also starred Gene Sheldon, George J. Lewis, and Henry Calvin. It aired for 78 episodes between 1957 and 1959, with four hour-long episodes airing in the early 1960s.
“We’re reimagining this Disney classic as a compelling period piece, set in Pueblo de Los Angeles, but told in a very modern telenovela style — with richly drawn contemporary characters and relationships set against the action, drama, suspense and humor of the original, iconic Zorro,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “Wilmer shares our commitment to reflect the interesting and rich diversity of the human experience and we look forward to delivering a culturally relevant and entertaining story with definitional characters that will connect with our viewers for generations to come.”
Along with Valderrama, the new should be executive produced by Gary Marsh, the outgoing president, and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television. The show is part of Marsh’s production pact with Disney General Entertainment. John Gertz of Zorro Productions Inc. is also an executive producer.
“Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero,” Valderrama said. “As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary and Disney to bring Zorro back into the family after 60 years and be a part of the legacy for other children to know they too can be the heroes of their own stories is a dream come true.”
The last time we saw Zorro, the iconic character was played by Antonio Banderas in 1998’s The Mask of Zorro and the sequel 2005’s The Legend of Zorro. The two films combined to gross over $390 million at the worldwide box office.
About Post Author
