Remember all the news about Johnny Depp’s dream project, a The Lone Ranger film adaptation, being tossed out by Disney over budget constraints? Scratch that. That’s null and void: the Lone Ranger is back in the saddle. But Disney has taken some of his silver away.
The world really should have known better than deny Depp his dreams. Granted, the film’s budget is reduced, but it’s not like we’ll be seeing anything in the stylings of the Hess family. There are still sure to be high-powered shoot-outs, visually stunning horse chases, and great train robberies. Plus, the biggest sell of them all: the Depp.
It probably helps Disney execs rest easy that the team behind this film was responsible for the colossal hitters that were the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films. Alongside Depp for the Lone Ranger movie are Pirates director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
And certainly it doesn’t hurt to have the fast-rising young actor Armie Hammer onboard as the titular hero, with Depp’s Tonto at his side. Hammer, who got his start with a recurring role on Gossip Girl, really came into his own with a stellar performance as Cameron Winklevoss in The Social Network — if you ask me, he kind of phoned in Tyler Winklevoss.
So one might wonder, with all of these factors on deck, why Disney might have been apprehensive about the film in the first place. Was it the meager performance of the Western adventure Cowboys & Aliens? Perhaps Disney predicts the end of the adaptation trend? Whatever the reason, it was nothing a few budget cuts couldn’t fix. And now, we’ll get the Lone Ranger film that we always wanted. Or at least the one Depp always wanted. But really, what’s the difference?
Source: Deadline
