Zorro Series In The Works At Disney+ From Game Of Thrones Writer Bryan Cogman

A classic hero is being reimagined for modern viewers, this time for the small screen. Disney+ is currently developing a new "Zorro" TV series, one that will star Wilmer Valderrama ("That '70s Show") as the swashbuckling swordsman. But we now know who is going to be heading up the show behind the scenes, as Bryan Cogman, of "Game of Thrones" fame, has been tapped as the writer, showrunner, and executive producer.

The news comes to us from Deadline, which explains that Valderrama is also on board as an executive producer, in addition to his starring role. The outlet also explains that the "Zorro" show will be "a bold reimagining of Disney's classic series for a modern audience; an epic adventure rooted in California's rich and diverse history, bursting with humor, sinister intrigue, romantic entanglements, and swashbuckling thrills." No word yet on just how soon production will get underway, but we do have a synopsis as well, which reads as follows:

The Disney+ series follows privileged caballero Diego De La Vega who returns to his hometown of El Pueblo de Los Angeles following a family tragedy. There, he discovers a culture of corruption and injustice that will lead him to take on the mantle of the masked vigilante Zorro — America's first true superhero.

Zorro made his debut in the pages of "All-Story Weekly" way back in 1919, so referring to him as "America's first true superhero" may not be wildly off the mark. He doesn't have any superpowers, but that's not an issue for Batman. The character has been adapted many, many times for the screen in the past, dating all the way back to 1920's "The Mark of Zorro." Modern audiences will likely be familiar with Antonia Banderas' take on the character from "The Mask of Zorro" and "The Legend of Zorro," released in 1998 and 2005, respectively.

Of note, "The Mask of Zorro" was very successful, taking in $233 million worldwide against a $65 million budget, while the sequel was not, earning just $141 million against an $80 million budget. The serialized nature of the character's adventures may very well make him a better fit for TV, particularly in an era where Disney+ can offer a large budget for these sorts of adventures. TV would have been limiting in the '90s. Now? Not so much.

As for Cogman, he is also a producer on "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," so he certainly has a track record of working on very successful fantasy shows. While this show most likely won't have much of a fantastic element to it, the notion of taking beloved source material and making it work in another medium is very much the task at hand. He seems reasonably well suited to the job.

The "Zorro" TV show does not yet have a release date set.