Why Antonio Banderas didn’t want to shoot Zorro 3

As early as the summer of 1998, the actor told Première that he would only make one sequel.

The Mask of Zorro celebrated its 25th anniversary during the summer (in France, this anniversary falls precisely on October 14, 2023). First dig into its archives, because at the time, Martin Campbell’s adventure film had created an event, coming out after six years of gestation and major team changes.

In producing the modern adaptation of the adventures of this Mexican hero, Steven Spielberg initially wanted to hire Mikael Salomon, then noted as director of photography forAbyss or Backdraft to stage it with Andy Garcia (The Godfather 3). Then he thought about bringing together Robert Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, the winning trio of Desperado. Only the leading actor of Pedro Almodovar’s cinema will ultimately remain involved in the project, directed by Martin Campbell following the success of Goldeneye. On the cover of our September 1998 issue, on the occasion of its preview presentation at the Deauville American Film Festival, Banderas recounted this experience in First. Here are some excerpts from his interview, conducted by Jacques-André Bondy.

On the other hand, unlike the example of Michael Keaton, who saw many actors succeed in the Batman costume, Zorro ultimately no longer had an adaptation in Hollywood. It’s not for lack of trying, but all the projects announced (with Gael Garcia Bernal, in post-apocalyptic mode by Jonas Cuaron…) are stillborn.

About the successful start of the Zorro mask : “It’s good, it relaxes my career. It should allow me to choose better quality projects. (…) In the seven years that I have been working in America, I have had some success, but never as a main actor (he cites the box office scores ofInterviews with a Vampire And Philadelphiaeditor’s note). (…) I had to fight like a lion. I am the only Spanish actor to have ever succeeded in Hollywood. (…) Yes, it’s weird (that Steven Spielberg comes out We have to save the soldier Ryan only a week later Zorrowhich he produced). But marketing sociologists have the answer. Apparently Ryan’s audience is different from ours and that shouldn’t hurt him. We are mainly in competition with Mary at all cost. They’re at our backs, ready to grab our cape.”

Indeed, the Farrelly brothers’ comedy was a hit in American theaters in August 1998. The film ended its run at 176 million dollars there, and Zorro, 94 million. Worldwide, these two competitors have accumulated respectively 369 and 250 million dollars.

In France, The Mask of Zorro was released a few months later. It also did well, attracting 3.4 million spectators in theaters, or 100,000 fewer curious people than Mary at all cost. Ultimately, Private Ryan will have beaten them both, with 482 million dollars in revenue worldwide and 4.1 million admissions in France.

Steven Spielberg: “Actually, most of my career tends towards Saving Private Ryan”

On its positive critical reception: “It’s rare for an action or adventure film. Perhaps it comes from the fact that this film is a little more than a simple collage of special effects. It looks more like a western. I think that people appreciate the mix of styles. It starts as a tragedy, it jumps to comedy before moving on to romance and the epic side and in the end, I think it’s the balance between all of that that makes the film ‘honest’. The film doesn’t take itself seriously or for more than what it is.”

The Mask of Zorro: the last film of its kind

About his personal involvement in the project: “I did as many stunts as I could. On the sword, it’s definitely me, from A to Z. No one has touched my sword. (…) The fencing master was 73 years old, but believe me, no one can touch him. With horses and swords, you can break something like nothing (he then lists the injuries suffered by stuntmen on set). For me, just a few cuts and a lot of aches. And the black stallion was not comfortable. But there were things I wasn’t allowed to do. It’s normal: if the main actor gets injured, you have 500 people on the line..”

About a potential saga: “Frankly, it already depends on the audience. The film has to make at least $85 million in revenue. There, I will shoot a sequel, on two conditions. One, that there is a good script; two, that Martin Campbell to direct. I don’t think Rodriguez would agree, it was Martin who created the concept. What would probably be interesting in a sequel would be to further develop the character using the experience of the first one. But I don’t think I’ll do a third. I think it was very smart of Michael Keaton to abandon Batman. He launched the character, made a second one, and retired. And the saga continues .”

Following the great critical and public success of Zorro maskits sequel, entitled The legend of Zorro, was released years later. It was still directed by Campbell, but it received a slightly less warm reception: more mixed opinions and “only” $142 million in worldwide revenue. As he had announced, Antonio Banderas moved on: in 1998, he made his first film as a director, Head in the hat boxwith his wife Melanie Griffith, then he returned to more independent cinema.

The Mask of Zorro can be (re)watched on Première Max