Zorro on France 2: Is this new version a success with Jean Dujardin as the vigilante?

what are you talking about

In 1821, Don Diego de la Vega became the mayor of his beloved city of Los Angeles, the prosperity of which he intended. However, the municipality faces financial problems due to the greed of a local businessman, Don Emmanuel, to whom the mayor’s powers are insufficient to fight injustice.

Diego hasn’t summoned Zoro’s double in 20 years. But in the name of the common good, he has no choice but to take out his mask and sword. Very quickly, Diego has trouble reconciling his dual identities as Zorro and Mary, straining his marriage to Gabriela, who doesn’t know his secret.

Can Diego save his marriage and his sanity amid the chaos?

1 season Zoro Available from 6 September 2024 on Paramount+. The series also airs on France 2 from this Monday, December 23, 2024 at 9:10 p.m.

who is he with

Jean Dujardin slips under the iconic mask of the vigilante Don Diego de la Vega. Audrey Dana (who she already played in Ice Cubes) plays Gabriela, our hero’s wife. Andre Dusollier plays Diego’s father.

Salvatore Ficarra plays Bernardo, Zorro’s loyal ally, and Grigor Gadebois plays Sergeant Garcia, one of the greatest enemies of the defender of the oppressed. Eric Elmosnino finally lends his chops to Don Emmanuel, the big bad guy of this fic.

Eight episodes of Zorro were written by Benjamin Charbit, Noé Debré and Emmanuel Poulin-Arnaud. Emilie Noble and Jean-Baptiste Saurel were in charge of the production.

is it worth watching

In this new retelling of the Legend of Zorro, we discover a brave masked vigilante like we’ve never seen before. Now a middle-aged man, the town’s Don Diego de la Vega passed on his cloak and sword years ago and is now experiencing an existential crisis.

Unreliable, criticized and ridiculed by everyone, Los Angeles is the exact opposite of what it used to be. Faced with force majeure, Diego is forced to wear his old black suit again…

But like a true fighter, Zoro has lost none of his charm or brilliance when he returns! Moreover, thanks to this secret alter ego, Diego gradually regains his confidence.

He even lights a fire in the eyes and heart of Gabriela, his dear and gentle wife… except she falls under Zoro’s spell, unaware that she is actually his wife! Indeed, he knows nothing of his dual identity… This comical love triangle between Diego, Gabriela and Zorro certainly brings comedy to fiction.

Jean Dujardin is excellent in the leather of the horseman, a role that was written for him, even though he dreamed of playing the character as a child. The actor is having a blast in this project and it shows!

The small references to Guy Williams’ Zorro in the 1950s Disney series are obvious and nice for nostalgia’s sake. Jean Dujardin has fun with it (at times with absurd mimicry and humor), but at other times it remains no less touching.

Finally, the black outfit fits him like a glove, as does Diego’s bourgeois attire.

Star opposite Audrey Dana, who plays his on-screen wife. The couple’s relationship is central to the story and quite interesting. Also, Gabriela is not a damsel in distress and her score is almost as important as Diego/Zorro’s. The end of the season proves it…

Andre Dusollier plays Diego’s odious and condescending father. It’s brutally funny that this protagonist mistreats his son on the outside, which reinforces the idea of ​​the main character happening in every aspect of his existence.

Otherwise, the aesthetic of the series is particularly careful: the costumes are brilliant, the sets are excellent and the action scenes are precise. Although we may regret the rather classic structure of the episodes, we can easily tolerate the hero’s new tricks performed during his impressive battles (the vast majority of stunts were performed by Jean Dujardin).

That’s why Zorro is a successful family entertainer that is fun to watch. This fiction should have easily caught the attention of the France Télévisions audience.