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Wilmer Valderrama is set to add a modern twist to the legendary masked hero El Zorro in an upcoming series for Disney. During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the Venezuelan actor shared details about his character and what differentiates his role from the traditional storyline.
“I’ll tell you this: This will be a Zorro for this generation,” the former That ‘70s Show star said. “And it’ll be incredibly thoughtful with its origin story, and it’ll be grounded in authenticity.”
According to Disney, the series “richly drawn contemporary characters and relationships set against the action, drama, suspense, and humor of the original, iconic Zorro.”
First appearing in Johnston McCulley’s 1919 novel The Curse of Capistrano, making its film debut on The Mark of Zorro, and popularized by Antonio Bandaras, Zorro impacted Wilmer’s childhood. “Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero,” Valderrama said, as reported by EW.
Wilmer is also serving as an executive producer. “To partner with Gary [Marsh, executive producer] 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,” he said.
In addition to the series, Valderrama will bring back his That ‘70s Show role on the Netflix spin-off That ’90s Show. “It is a lot on my plate, but I’m up for the challenge,” Valderrama told Barrymore. “You come to a point in her life where… we talk about this Mount Everest, right? And I think Zorro is one of those.”
Watch the interview below