Gael Garcia Bernal to play Zorro in Jonas Cuaron's reboot Z

Gael García Bernal is ready to leave his mark as Zorro. The Motorcycle Diaries and Y Tu Mama Tambien actor will play the swashbuckling pulp hero in Z, a near-future-set reboot from writer-director Jonas Cuaron, the filmmakers announced Monday.

Plot details have yet to be revealed for the movie, which pledges to “take audiences to a new and visually exciting world.” Shooting is scheduled to start in the Dominican Republic in the fall, with Mark Amin of Sobini Films and Albert Martinez Martin of Lantica Pictures producing.

The project, which was introduced in February, represents a reunion for García Bernal and Cuaron: They recently collaborated on the border thriller Desierto, due later this year. García Bernal’s other credits include Amores Perros, Babel, and the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle, and Cuaron is known for co-writing Gravity with his father, Alfonso Cuaron.

Created by the writer Johnston McCulley in 1919, Zorro is the dashing alter ego of Californio nobleman Don Diego de la Vega. The character has been portrayed countless times on screen, notably by Douglas Fairbanks, Guy Williams, and Antonio Banderas.

“I have always loved Gael for this role,” Amin said in the announcement. “Zorro is a hero who is charming, witty, and clever. Gael possesses all those characteristics and he’s able to deliver them with a modern spin to introduce the Zorro character to a new audience.”