'Gravity' Writer and Alfonso Cuaron Son Jonas to Direct Futuristic 'Zorro' Reboot

Writer and director Jonas Cuaron, the son of Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron and the one who co-wrote Gravity with him, has been handed a new major project: a Zorro reboot! The young Cuaron, currently promoting his new film, Desierto, will be writing and directing a new project about Don Diego de la Vega: Z, with a futuristic take on the hero.

It was Heroic Hollywood that first broke the news about the upcoming Zorro reboot, revealing Lantica Media and Sobini Films would be producing the project, set to begin shooting during the summer. Cuaron will be writing and directing Z, with casting announcements still pending.

"We are very fortunate to have Jonás on this film," Antonio Gennari, the CEO of Lantica, told The Wrap after announcing the project. "His love of cinema is evident in his work and he is very talented in his ability to tell a compelling story. We look forward to seeing where his vision will take us."

Although snubbed of an Oscar nod, young Cuarón won multiple awards for his turn as screenwriter in Gravity, including a BAFTA and a Hugo. With Desierto, which stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and recent Golden Globe winner, Gael García Bernal, the filmmaker received the International Critics Award at the last edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.

With the current issues Hollywood is facing regarding diversity in major films, it's a breath of fresh air to see a Mexican filmmaker being handed a project about a Mexican-American hero. The last time the story was adapted, the ethnical characterization was more than a little off: in The Mask of Zorro and its sequel, The Mark of Zorro, the title character was played by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, with Welsh actors Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones playing Mexican-Americans.

Hopefully, in a time where the world is watching Hollywood's every move when it comes to casting diverse characters, this kind of thing won't happen in this upcoming film.

Production is set to begin next summer in the Pinewood Studios at the Dominican Republic.