The Lone Ranger (2013)

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  • L.A. Times article, February 17, 2011:


    ‘Lone Ranger’: Johnny Depp won’t be traditional Tonto, director says


    Johnny Depp will play Tonto when the Disney version of “The Lone Ranger” finally gallops into theaters, but don’t expect him to be a typical second-saddle sidekick.


    Director Gore Verbinski – who has made four films with Depp — said he’s interested in a sly, somewhat subversive version of the classic Old West adventure that presents the “faithful Indian companion” as the wry central voice of the story.


    “The only version of ‘The Lone Ranger’ I’m interested in doing is ‘Don Quixote’ told from Sancho Panza’s point of view,” Verbinski said Tuesday. “And hence I was honest early on with Johnny that Tonto is the part. We’re not going to do it [straight], everyone knows that story. I don’t want to tell that story.”


    I visited Verbinski’s office on the Universal lot to talk about “Rango,” the animated film that arrives on March 4 with Depp in the title role and surrounded by a dream team of character actors (Bill Nighy, Ray Winstone, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Harry Dean Stanton, Isla Fisher, Stephen Root, Timothy Olyphant and Abigail Breslin), and you’ll see a lot more about that ambitious project here at Hero Complex in the weeks to come. But I also had to ask the “Pirates of the Caribbean” director about his still-forming plans for the Lone Ranger, a hero that dates back to the 1933 radio adventures that galloped out of the imagination of Fran Striker.


    Instead of Striker, though, Verbinski cited Cervantes and seemed eager to put Depp into a character that (like Jack Sparrow) is good in a fight but also a bit slippery compared to some of the boy-scout personalities around him. The 46-year-old director explained: “I want the version from the untrustworthy narrator who might be a little crazy — but somehow the question is, is he crazy or is the world crazy? That, I find fascinating.”


    Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been talking about a Lone Ranger feature film for years and announced in 2008 that Depp would be on board. The project has been slow to the screen, though, with Depp’s dense schedule and the emphasis by the studio, producer and star on their massively successful ”Pirates” franchise, which has pulled in $2.68 billion in worldwide box office with three films and has a fourth scheduled for release this summer. [FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post misstated the franchise box office total.]


    ”Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” which opens May 20, marks the handoff of the maritime adventure franchise to director Rob Marshall (“Chicago“). Verbinski was officially announced as the director on “The Lone Ranger” in late November.


    In Verbinski’s office, one high shelf behind his desk has a solitary book on it — a hardcover history of the Texas Rangers. He’s in promotion mode now for “Rango” — he’ll be in Europe for events this weekend — but “The Lone Ranger” is moving up on his list of time priorities.


    “It’s just at the primordial stage,” Verbinski said. “We’re working on the screenplay but if we can pull that off — find that story I want to tell — then it will be worth doing.”


    I asked Verbinski if he had ever seen the classic Lone Ranger gag from “The Far Side,” the loopy single-panel cartoon by Gary Larson. He shook his head, so I explained that it showed an elderly, retired Lone Ranger looking up the English translation “kemosabe” and making the unpleasant discovery that it means “horse’s rear end.” Verbinski chuckled. “Well, that’s kind of the world we want to be in. It’s an odd couple, the two of them together. Getting that tone right is going to be a blast.”


    – Geoff Boucher

  • L.A. Times article, February 17, 2011:


    ‘Lone Ranger’: Johnny Depp won’t be traditional Tonto, director says


    Johnny Depp will play Tonto when the Disney version of “The Lone Ranger” finally gallops into theaters, but don’t expect him to be a typical second-saddle sidekick.


    Director Gore Verbinski – who has made four films with Depp — said he’s interested in a sly, somewhat subversive version of the classic Old West adventure that presents the “faithful Indian companion” as the wry central voice of the story.


    “The only version of ‘The Lone Ranger’ I’m interested in doing is ‘Don Quixote’ told from Sancho Panza’s point of view,” Verbinski said Tuesday. “And hence I was honest early on with Johnny that Tonto is the part. We’re not going to do it [straight], everyone knows that story. I don’t want to tell that story.”


    I visited Verbinski’s office on the Universal lot to talk about “Rango,” the animated film that arrives on March 4 with Depp in the title role and surrounded by a dream team of character actors (Bill Nighy, Ray Winstone, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Harry Dean Stanton, Isla Fisher, Stephen Root, Timothy Olyphant and Abigail Breslin), and you’ll see a lot more about that ambitious project here at Hero Complex in the weeks to come. But I also had to ask the “Pirates of the Caribbean” director about his still-forming plans for the Lone Ranger, a hero that dates back to the 1933 radio adventures that galloped out of the imagination of Fran Striker.


    Instead of Striker, though, Verbinski cited Cervantes and seemed eager to put Depp into a character that (like Jack Sparrow) is good in a fight but also a bit slippery compared to some of the boy-scout personalities around him. The 46-year-old director explained: “I want the version from the untrustworthy narrator who might be a little crazy — but somehow the question is, is he crazy or is the world crazy? That, I find fascinating.”


    Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been talking about a Lone Ranger feature film for years and announced in 2008 that Depp would be on board. The project has been slow to the screen, though, with Depp’s dense schedule and the emphasis by the studio, producer and star on their massively successful ”Pirates” franchise, which has pulled in $2.68 billion in worldwide box office with three films and has a fourth scheduled for release this summer. [FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post misstated the franchise box office total.]


    ”Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” which opens May 20, marks the handoff of the maritime adventure franchise to director Rob Marshall (“Chicago“). Verbinski was officially announced as the director on “The Lone Ranger” in late November.


    In Verbinski’s office, one high shelf behind his desk has a solitary book on it — a hardcover history of the Texas Rangers. He’s in promotion mode now for “Rango” — he’ll be in Europe for events this weekend — but “The Lone Ranger” is moving up on his list of time priorities.


    “It’s just at the primordial stage,” Verbinski said. “We’re working on the screenplay but if we can pull that off — find that story I want to tell — then it will be worth doing.”


    I asked Verbinski if he had ever seen the classic Lone Ranger gag from “The Far Side,” the loopy single-panel cartoon by Gary Larson. He shook his head, so I explained that it showed an elderly, retired Lone Ranger looking up the English translation “kemosabe” and making the unpleasant discovery that it means “horse’s rear end.” Verbinski chuckled. “Well, that’s kind of the world we want to be in. It’s an odd couple, the two of them together. Getting that tone right is going to be a blast.”


    – Geoff Boucher

  • Hi, Ho Silver, Away! Disney Dates 'Lone Ranger' For December 21, 2012


    Disney will release Lone Ranger on December 21, 2012, giving the studio a big holiday entry in a crowding field. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Armie Hammer as the title character and Johnny Depp as Tonto, takes place in 1869. A Texas Ranger, left for dead, is saved by the Commanche Tonto, who gives his new partner the masked identity of Lone Ranger. Justin Haythe wrote the script and Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. The film begins production later this year.


    The holiday corridor of 2012 is getting more competitive. Warner Bros recently set a December 14, 2012 release date for the Peter Jackson-directed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and on December 21, the Ang Lee-directed Life of Pi opens against Universal's untitled Judd Apatow film as well as Relativity Media's Hunter-Killer. Of course, date shifting is allowed.


    Coming off the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, this is the second major film dated by Disney in the past two weeks. The Sam Raimi-directed Oz: The Great and Powerful was set for March 8, 2013 release.


    http://www.deadline.com/2011/0…ger-for-december-21-2012/

  • Hi, Ho Silver, Away! Disney Dates 'Lone Ranger' For December 21, 2012


    Disney will release Lone Ranger on December 21, 2012, giving the studio a big holiday entry in a crowding field. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Armie Hammer as the title character and Johnny Depp as Tonto, takes place in 1869. A Texas Ranger, left for dead, is saved by the Commanche Tonto, who gives his new partner the masked identity of Lone Ranger. Justin Haythe wrote the script and Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. The film begins production later this year.


    The holiday corridor of 2012 is getting more competitive. Warner Bros recently set a December 14, 2012 release date for the Peter Jackson-directed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and on December 21, the Ang Lee-directed Life of Pi opens against Universal's untitled Judd Apatow film as well as Relativity Media's Hunter-Killer. Of course, date shifting is allowed.


    Coming off the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, this is the second major film dated by Disney in the past two weeks. The Sam Raimi-directed Oz: The Great and Powerful was set for March 8, 2013 release.


    http://www.deadline.com/2011/0…ger-for-december-21-2012/



  • That's just great, all we need is yet another ""director"' change almost everything about a character that's been around for so long and into a sideshow freak kinda thing >:-(( I will NOT, support that venture. The idiots did that with Superman as well as Nick Fury >>:-(((

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..



  • That's just great, all we need is yet another ""director"' change almost everything about a character that's been around for so long and into a sideshow freak kinda thing >:-(( I will NOT, support that venture. The idiots did that with Superman as well as Nick Fury >>:-(((

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • Disney shuts down production of 'Lone Ranger'


    Walt Disney Studios has shut down production of "The Lone Ranger," a big-budget film starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the title character, a person close to the production confirmed.


    Depp has been the studio's most bankable star in recent years, anchoring two films that reaped more than a billion dollars in worldwide box office -- this summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and the 2010 film "Alice in Wonderland."


    Work on the modern retelling of the popular 1949 television western was halted amid budgetary concerns. Deadline Hollywood, which broke the news, reported that filmmakers were attempting to reduce the $250 million budget but had yet to reach the $200-million figure Disney wants to spend.


    "The Lone Ranger" director Gore Verbinski previously clashed with Disney studio executives over cost overruns on the third installment of the "Pirates" franchise and did not direct the most recent sequel.


    One veteran film executive said studios often use such tactics to send a message to filmmakers about bloated budgets. The person close to the production said all parties are talking and trying to determine next steps.


    Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger signaled on an earnings call this week that the Burbank studio would pay closer attention to film budgets, given broader trends in the industry.


    "It's our intention to take a very careful look at what films cost," Iger told analysts Tuesday. "And if we can't get them to a level that we're comfortable with, we think that we're better off actually reducing the size of our slate than making films that are bigger and increasingly more risky."


    http://dukewayne.com/newreply.…wreply&noquote=1&p=102248

  • Disney shuts down production of 'Lone Ranger'


    Walt Disney Studios has shut down production of "The Lone Ranger," a big-budget film starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the title character, a person close to the production confirmed.


    Depp has been the studio's most bankable star in recent years, anchoring two films that reaped more than a billion dollars in worldwide box office -- this summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and the 2010 film "Alice in Wonderland."


    Work on the modern retelling of the popular 1949 television western was halted amid budgetary concerns. Deadline Hollywood, which broke the news, reported that filmmakers were attempting to reduce the $250 million budget but had yet to reach the $200-million figure Disney wants to spend.


    "The Lone Ranger" director Gore Verbinski previously clashed with Disney studio executives over cost overruns on the third installment of the "Pirates" franchise and did not direct the most recent sequel.


    One veteran film executive said studios often use such tactics to send a message to filmmakers about bloated budgets. The person close to the production said all parties are talking and trying to determine next steps.


    Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger signaled on an earnings call this week that the Burbank studio would pay closer attention to film budgets, given broader trends in the industry.


    "It's our intention to take a very careful look at what films cost," Iger told analysts Tuesday. "And if we can't get them to a level that we're comfortable with, we think that we're better off actually reducing the size of our slate than making films that are bigger and increasingly more risky."


    http://dukewayne.com/newreply.…wreply&noquote=1&p=102248

  • I should think with the ease that these Movies,
    quickly find them free to download on the internet,
    I am not surprised film companies are worried about budgets!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • I should think with the ease that these Movies,
    quickly find them free to download on the internet,
    I am not surprised film companies are worried about budgets!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • I'm glad it was cancelled. I'd rather see a western at a third of the budget with lesser "names" than another overblown cgi laden film (I'm sure it would work it's way in).

  • I'm glad it was cancelled. I'd rather see a western at a third of the budget with lesser "names" than another overblown cgi laden film (I'm sure it would work it's way in).

  • Disney's $250 million Western appears doomed amid a frantic effort to save the project.


    Will the Lone Ranger cry "Hi-ho Silver!" or ride into the sunset? Disney shocked Hollywood by pulling the plug Aug. 12 on the $250 million-budgeted Western, which was scheduled to enter production in the fall with Johnny Depp starring as Tonto.


    While the studio is giving director Gore Verbinski a week to rework the script and bring costs down significantly, many associated with the project believe the budget pressures are too drastic to salvage the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie as it was conceived and developed.


    A source close to the dealmaking says studio chief Rich Ross believes the "substantial budget gap" can only be bridged by Verbinski reimagining some of the bigger sequences and a few "give-backs" from the talent -- moves that those working on the film have been uninterested in making.


    "It all starts with [Verbinski]," says a source. "If there is any saving this version of the movie, he'll have to find substantial savings. If he can, maybe we can hold this together."


    Verbinski is said to have brought the budget down to $242 million to $244 million via nips and tucks, but the source says it needs to get to $215 million to $220 million -- or less. Verbinski and Bruckheimer are said to have given up a total of $10 million from their fees, but it appears unlikely that the filmmakers will reduce the budget further.


    Even at the cost Disney has targeted, the film would have to gross about $800 million worldwide to be profitable when marketing and rich backends to Depp, Verbinski and Bruckheimer are factored in. That's a tough task for a non-sequel, notwithstanding Depp's appeal and older audiences' familiarity with the Lone Ranger character.


    The underperformance of the Western Cowboys & Aliens this summer also has added to Disney's skittishness, as has its $300 million commitment (the studio says it's lower) to John Carter, the 2012 adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book by first-time live-action director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E).


    One thing that is unfathomable to many is how a Western can cost $250 million.


    The original script included werewolves and other supernatural creatures from Native American myths. Those bells and whistles have been jettisoned, but according to sources who have read recent drafts, three massive action set pieces involving trains remain, including one described as the biggest train sequence in film history.


    Verbinski earned a reputation for budget-busting on the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films. He frequently clashed with then-physical production head Bruce Hendricks to the point that after the third Pirates -- whose budget had ballooned more than $300 million, according to sources -- the studio was no longer interested in working with the director.


    If Ranger doesn't ride, it won't be the first time Verbinski loses a project because of budget reasons. He was to have directed an adaptation of the video game BioShock, but Universal put the project on hold in 2009. Verbinski is said to have called cast and crew this week to say he is trying to salvage Ranger.


    Replacing Verbinski and reimagining the script would be risky, but Depp -- who also stars in Disney's Pirates and Alice in Wonderland franchises -- might stay since he's been with the project since 2008, two years before Verbinski boarded.


    And proceeding at a reduced budget might please Disney CEO Robert Iger, who recently said: "It's our intention to take a careful look at what films cost, and if we can't get them to a level that we're comfortable with, we think that we're better off actually reducing the size of our slate than making films that are bigger and increasingly more risky."


    http://www.hollywoodreporter.c…tor-producer-offer-224409

  • Quote

    The original script included werewolves and other supernatural creatures from Native American myths. Those bells and whistles have been jettisoned, but according to sources who have read recent drafts, three massive action set pieces involving trains remain, including one described as the biggest train sequence in film history.



    And that's my problem with modern Hollywood! Style over substance! I always thought "The Lone Ranger" was such a great character and the origins would make the perfect big screen Western. The potential is there for a good, entertaining story that would be strong enough to appeal to both adults and kids.

    But these days, Hollywood just can't get it right! Instead of telling a good story, that starts with good characters...they would rather create what is basically a shallow big screen video game!

    Sorry for the rant, but I just don't get it!

  • ‘The Lone Ranger’ Saddling Up With Johnny Depp And A Tighter Budget


    Well, it took a week longer than I thought it would, but Disney has finally reached a meeting of the minds on The Lone Ranger with director Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.


    The studio is expected to formalize a new start date imminently and announce it is moving forward and putting Depp back in the saddle as Tonto, with Armie Hammer as the title character. It looked like the studio was going to announce last week when the picture brightened for the film, but it will be this week’s business instead. I don’t think Disney was able to salvage its December 21 release date because production won’t start in New Mexico until early next year.


    The original plan was to begin shooting this fall. That was until, as Deadline revealed on August 12, the studio shockingly pulled the plug on a project it feared could come in at between $250 million-$275 million.


    The risk of such a figure on a Western became more glaring after Cowboys & Aliens had just turned in a severely disappointing domestic gross, to be followed by an even worse offshore performance, proving the adage that most Westerns don’t travel well. Cowboys & Aliens will be a costly money-loser, 50% shouldered by DreamWorks and the other half split between Universal and Relativity Media.


    On Lone Ranger, there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes drama as the three principal players made concessions in their deals, and worked on the script to salvage the spectacle that made the movie worth making in the first place while bringing the budget down to a more manageable figure in the $215 million range. It wasn’t pleasant, but Disney now has its original team behind the first three Pirates of the Caribbean blockbusters back together for a movie that’s expensive but at least will allow production chiefs Sean Bailey and Rich Ross the opportunity to sleep at night. Developing…


    http://www.deadline.com/2011/1…epp-and-a-tighter-budget/

  • Armie Hammer, who's currently saddling up to play "The Lone Ranger", was arrested for marijuana possession November 30 in Sierra Blanca, TX. The 25 year old actor was busted and spent a single day in jail after police found three cookies and one brownie containing medical marijuana. It's just the latest bit of unfavorable news for the bad-plublicity plagued western.

  • Armie Hammer, who's currently saddling up to play "The Lone Ranger", was arrested for marijuana possession November 30 in Sierra Blanca, TX. The 25 year old actor was busted and spent a single day in jail after police found three cookies and one brownie containing medical marijuana. It's just the latest bit of unfavorable news for the bad-plublicity plagued western.




    Who the heck is Armie Hammer? Seems to be no loss, just another pothead.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..