The Pitch: The Triumph of Zorro

This idea actually came to me in a dream quite a while back and has been knocking around in my head, but I didn't want to take a swing at it until I'd seen at least a couple of Zorro films again. Confidentially, I was hoping to dig up a copy of Zorro the Gay Blade, but can't have everything, can we? As a therapist who works for an advocacy group, I get the "Social Justice Warrior" epithet thrown at me a bit (as an aside, "SJW" is kind of a crummy insult for people that actually advocate for Social Justice, most of us see it as a compliment), but I really do believe that the Hollywood film industry needs better representation of minorities and more female leads in diverse genres. Of course, any studio that takes the risk has to deal with a, shockingly large, amount of online vitriol from some of the worst excuses for men on the planet and some people who are just jerks about change. That's why I really think Zorro is a "safe bet" for getting a headlining Hispanic male into a lead superhero role; the character has history, is iconic and is tied to the mythology of the American West. However, that history can cause problems as well, there really isn't a lot of room for Zorro stories with the character in his current space. The "Wild West" was actually such a short period of time that film has pretty much tapped out every idea already, and whilst I'd love to see more "Masked Vigilante" Westerns, maybe there's somewhere else we can go with this character? 

The Triumph of Zorro
In modern-day Mexico City, the conflict between Cartels and the Police are fought so brutally that innocent people are often caught in the crossfire. In the slums of the city, there is little hope that the future will be any better, life is cheap and many children are exploited. Into this decaying urban edifice comes a hero, a symbol from the past, with a scrawled "Z", he makes himself known. Against all odds... Zorro has returned. 

Plot 
Our young male protagonist is a street-smart troublemaker who has always managed to stay one step ahead of both the law and the Cartels until one fateful day when his cockiness gets someone he cares about killed and he's arrested. A long-lost uncle comes to bail our protagonist out of gaol and reveals to the youth that he is descended from the legendary hero for justice, Zorro! 
The family has fallen on hard times and the uncle is essentially care-taking the last of Zorro's equipment, including a diary, several training manuals, a mask and, of course, a sword. Our young hero trains himself to take on the legacy of Zorro and to bring down the cartels and corrupt police, staring small in his local area and taking on bigger and bigger targets. After a close call that results with injury, the new Zorro considers hanging up the sword, but when his uncle is captured by the cartels, he must put his life on the line one last time. 
Zorro fights his way through the foot soldiers of the Cartel, confronting the corrupt detective who had him arrested in the first act before finally making his way to the head of the Cartel for the climatic showdown. The uncle has to sacrifice himself to save Zorro in the fight, leading to an epilogue scene where Zorro swears to keep fighting the good fight. 
Nothing special, but with these kind of films, we don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Tone
This is a bit tricky due to the state of the "Drug War" in Mexico and the countless lives it's costing every year. The film won't work if it's overly serious, our protagonist is fighting with a sword against men with guns and winning, it's silly if you think about it too much. Conversely, too light a tone and there is a real risk of trivializing the very real struggle that many people have to live with every day. Something close to Dredd springs to mind, as the film does not glamorise poverty or gang violence and still finds some room for lighter moments. Not quite as bloody as Dredd though, this needs to turn a profit. 

Cast
I'm going to admit straight-up that I have no idea who should play Zorro. I don't know any young, up-and-coming Mexican actors and the point is to elevate someone relatively unknown to the big time. There are probably plenty of candidates, as Mexio has thriving film and television industries and that's what Central Casting is for. 

That said, as the uncle, there is really only once choice, Antonio Banderas. 

The point isn't that The Triumph of Zorro is necessarily next in the series of the Banderas Zorro films, but creating a link could only benefit the film. People remember The Mask of Zorro fondly and Banderas' performance was a big part of that. Also, Banderas is a better actor than most give him credit for and this gives him a chance to take another swing at a character he's become closely associated to. 

For our villain, the mob boss of the local district, I like the sound of David Zayas; 

Zayas has played crime bosses really well in the past and thanks to Dexter and The Expendables has recognition in the English-speaking market. I'd rather not fall back on the cliche of having a white boss leading the ethnic gang just to get a bigger name in the role, Banderas should be a big enough draw.

Crew
There are actually a couple of directors that would probably do a great job with this material, Robert Rodriguez seems like a good fit, but I'd be more keen on seeing what  Guillermo del Toro could do with it. del Toro has a good track record with superhero and genre film as well as being adept at sneaking in broader cultural themes into his films. 

Note: Some of the pictures in this article I found as part of a "teaser" that a studio released a few years back for a similar concept, which I'd totally go see if it were ever released. It looks like it's set in California, which makes sense from a marketing perspective, but I feel would lessen the overall impact of the film.