Reimagined, Female-Led Series From Robert Rodriguez Finds New Home at CBS

Robert Rodriguez’s reimagined Zorro series is moving forward at CBS.

Rodriguez has been trying to get a new Zorro series off the ground for years, as the project was initially being made for NBC and then The CW in 2020 and 2022.

Per Deadline, CBS is now moving forward with the project, which will be a gender-swapped reimagination of the fictional character who was originally created by John McCulley in 1919.

“In this contemporary take, a young Latinx woman discovers that her long-deceased father was the legendary hero Zorro. She takes on his masked persona to defend the desperate citizens of her Austin, Texas community from the wealthy forces seeking to exploit them,” Deadline’s description reads.

What else do we know about the Robert Rodriguez Zorro series?

Along with Rodriguez, the project comes from writer-director Rebecca Rodriguez (Robert’s sister), Ben Silverman, and Howard T. Owens. John Hlavin, who replaces Sean Tetra as a new co-writer on the series, is working on a brand-new script for the Zorro project for CBS with Rebecca Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez is executive producing with Silverman, Owens, Rodney Ferrell, Geoff Clark, Eric Bromb, Jay Weisleder, and John Gertz.

Another Zorro project is also in the works as it was announced in 2021 that Wilmer Valderrama is working on a television series for Disney+. Writer Bryan Cogman joined the project in 2023.

“With different studios at the helm, it’s doubtful Valderrama and Rodriguez could create a super Zorro universe but one never knows,” Deadline’s article notes.

Robert Rodriguez is known for directing 1992’s El Mariachi, 1995’s Desperado, 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn, 2010’s Spy Kids, 2003’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico, 2005’s Sin City, 2005’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, 2010’s Machete, 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel, and more.

Casting information for Rodrigeuz’s Zorro series is not available at this time. A premiere date has not yet been set.