Steven Spielberg Warned Antonio Banderas on ‘Zorro’ Set That CGI Would Replace Practical Filmmaking: ‘Things Are Going to Change Fast’

Antonio Banderas celebrated the 25th anniversary of The Mask of Zorro in a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment. The Martin Campbell-directed adventure movie was produced by Steven Spielbergs Amblin Entertainment and grossed $250 million at the worldwide box office in 1998.

Spielberg was on hand during the films production Banderas said the Oscar-winning director correctly warned him about the future of practical vs. CGI filmmaking.

Steven Spielberg said to me once when we were shooting, This is probably going to be one of the last Westerns shot in the way the Westerns were shot in the old days, with real scenes with real horses, where everything is real, [real] sword fighting, no CGI,' Banderas remembered. Everything was [practical].

And he said, But things are going to change. theyre going to change and theyre gonna change fast. And so you should be proud of this movie, Banderas added. And I am, probably even more now than at the time that I was doing it. I dont know if I was absolutely conscious when I was doingZorrothat it was going to have an impact. The impact that its had, and especially after 25 years It was a very beautiful adventure movie with a lot of ingredients that made it shine in a very beautiful way. I have nothing but good memories.

Banderas and his co-star Catherine Zeta Jones reprised their roles in 2005 sequel The Legend of Zorro, but the film was far less successful at the box office. Still, Banderas told Yahoo that people have been approaching him with different ideas for a third Zorro movie.

Obviously if I do another movie now, I would play the [mentor] character that Anthony Hopkins did in the first version, Banderas said. I [would] be the character that passes the torch to the new Zorro, which would be great, just to do so. But you know, if it comes, great. If it doesnt, you know, the other two are there forever.

The Mask of Zorro is now available to stream on MGM+ or Prime Video with the MGM+ add-on.