Break out your black masks and your fancy rapiers, the horseman known as Zorro is primed to ride back into theaters. 20th Century Fox is looking to overhaul the classic hero in big way, prepping a futuristic reboot that will take place in neither Mexico nor California, as had the two previous Antonio Banderas-helmed films. The new film, 'Zorro Reborn' is based on a script by Glen Gers ('Fracture,' 'Mad Money') as well as 'Harker' writers Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, but at the moment the film is sans director. Rumor has it that Fox has found its new swashbuckling vigilante in Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal ('Y Tu Mama Tambien,' 'The Motorcycle Diaries'). Bernal will co-star with Will Ferrel in the upcoming comedy 'Casa di Mi Padre' as well as appear in 'A Little Bit of Heaven' alongside Kate Hudson. Sony is apparently planning their own Zorro origin story titled, enigmatically, 'Zorro' which is based on a 2005 novel by Isabel Allende. Bernal has not yet made an official deal.

Gael Garcia Bernal is a phenomenal actor and I absolutely love the idea of him taking up the Zorro mantle. In addition to 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' and 'The Motorcycle Diaries' I also highly recommend a 2005 film of his called 'Dot the I.' He's got the acting chops and the right look for the part, now we just need to see how gifted a swordsman he can be. What I find so difficult to wrap my head around here is the idea of rebooting Zorro, a hero whose identity is largely tied up in historical context, and setting it in the future. It just sort of strikes me as an odd direction for the franchise, but then perhaps that's just the sort of shakeup this old story needs so I guess I'll reserve judgment until I see it. It'll be interesting to see how the Fox and Sony Zorro films differ and how closely together they are released. In the meantime, I would also highly recommend getting yourself psyched by watching 1940's 'The Mark of Zorro' starring Tyrone Power; one of my all-time favorite films.

What do you guys think? Any Bernal fans out there? Are you excited about the prospect of a new Zorro movie?

Source: Variety