<P> In October 1992, TriStar Pictures and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment were planning to start production on Zorro the following year, and hired Joel Gross to rewrite the script after they were impressed with his adaptation of The Three Musketeers . At the time, Spielberg was producing Zorro with the potential to direct . Gross completed his rewrite in March 1993, and TriStar entered pre-production, creating early promotion for the film that same month at the ShoWest trade show . By December 1993, Branko Lustig was producing the film with Spielberg, and Mikael Salomon was attached as director . In August 1994, Sean Connery was cast as Don Diego de la Vega, while Salomon stated that the rest of the major cast would be Hispanic or Latino . Pre-production proceeded even further in August when Salomon compiled test footage for a planned April 1995 start date . </P> <P> Connery and Salomon eventually dropped out, and in September 1995, Robert Rodriguez, fresh from the success of Desperado, signed to direct with Antonio Banderas, who had also starred in Desperado, playing the title role . TriStar and Amblin had been surprised by Rodriguez's low - budget filming techniques for his action films, El Mariachi and Desperado, and shifted away from their initial plans with Salomon to make a big - budget version of Zorro . Spielberg had hoped Rodriguez would start filming in January 1996 for a Christmas release date, but the start date was pushed back to July . The release date was later moved to Easter 1997 . Rodriguez pulled out of the film' in June 1996 over difficulties coming to terms with TriStar on the budget . The studio projected a range of $35 million, while Rodriguez wanted $45 million . They both attempted to compromise when Rodriguez lowered it to $42 million, but the studio refused and set $41 million as their highest mark . Banderas remained with the production, and Martin Campbell signed on later that month, turning down the chance to direct Tomorrow Never Dies . The finished screenplay would be written by John Eskow, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, based on a story by Elliott, Rossio, and Randall Jahnson . </P> <P> The principal photography for the film began in Mexico on January 27, 1997 on a $60 million budget . The Mask of Zorro was mostly shot at Estudios Churubusco in Mexico City . Production stalled for four days in February when the director, Martin Campbell, was hospitalized for bronchitis . Filming resumed in Tlaxcala, three hours east of Mexico City, where the production crew constructed the Montero hacienda and town set pieces . Sony sent David Foster to join the project as a producer to help fill the void left by Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald, who were busy running DreamWorks . Foster and David S. Ward, who went uncredited, re-wrote some scenes; the troubled production caused The Mask of Zorro to go $10 million over its budget . In December, the producers were frustrated by customs agents when some props and other items, including Zorro's plastic sword, were held for nine days . During the post-production phase, Spielberg and Campbell decided that Diego de la Vega's death in the arms of his daughter was too depressing . The ending, where Alejandro and Eléna are happily married with their infant son, was added three months after filming had ended . </P> <P> On January 24, 2001, Sony Pictures Entertainment filed a lawsuit in United States District Court, Central District of California, Western Division, against Fireworks Entertainment Group, the producers of the syndicated television series Queen of Swords . Sony alleged copyright infringement and other claims, saying the series "copied protectable elements from (the)' Zorro' character and' Zorro' related works". On April 5, 2001, U.S. District Judge Collins denied Sony's motion for a preliminary injunction, noting "that since the copyrights in (Johnson McCulley's 1919 short story) The Curse of Capistrano and (the 1920 movie) The Mark of Zorro lapsed in 1995 or before, the character Zorro has been in the public domain ." As to specific elements of The Mask of Zorro, the judge found that any similarities between the film and the TV series' secondary characters and plot elements were insufficient to warrant an injunction . </P>

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