'Prince of Persia' Director Up For 'Lone Ranger'

If it stands up, there's a lot of sense in hiring Mike Newell to direct The Lone Ranger. He's directed a Harry Potter movie and recently shot next summer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for Jerry Bruckheimer, and Bruckheimer is also leading the charge for Lone Ranger. In short, he's got experience as a do-what-the-producer-wants filmmaker on massive movies. That's not to say he's in any way deficient as a director, just that he works very well for producers with big aims. That's not an easy trait to find, because directors so often want to do things their own ways. Newell's also really versatile - Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral - so I think he can be relied upon to give us the most crowd-pleasing Lone Ranger that the script allows. Production Weekly (via Worst Previews) broke the news, saying Newell is in talks for the first of what should be a few Lone Ranger filcks. Johnny Depp is the new Tonto, which signals a little comic relief from that character where Jay Silverheels never really provided it, and to answer that time-honored question - "Who was that masked man?" - we just don't know. It's hard to believe Bruckheimer hired a Tonto before a Lone Ranger, and even harder to believe that nearly six months later we still don't know who it will be. I have a hunch, though, and his sister's name is Maggie. Would Bruckheimer really give Jake Gyllenhaal two franchises? Why not? Isn't this Depp's second Bruckheimer series? There was some talk of George Clooney or something, but George is damn near 50 and since he had that spinal fluid leak thing on Syriana, I don't see him making a whole lot of movies on horseback. Plus, why would Bruckheimer go with a guy that old? He knows what sells tickets.