Verbinski, Depp Re-Team for 'Lone Ranger,' But Who's The Hero?

The rumor has been kicking around for a while now, but this week Disney has officially confirmed Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski to take the reins of their upcoming Lone Ranger film.  The idea to make this movie, and to cast Johnny Depp as The Ranger’s trusty sidekick, Tonto, has been around since 2008, but this is the first indication that the project is actually coming to fruition.  Which begs the question: if a star with clout like Depp is playing the sidekick, who’s playing the Lone Ranger?

"Tonto. Jump on it."

The original “Lone Ranger” was a beloved staple on television for most of the late 40’s and early 50’s, with Clayton Moore famously playing the masked hero.  Moore didn’t do much in the way of acting after the show ended, sticking to mainly public appearances as The Ranger, as he was still defined by the role.  This is not to say that the new Lone Ranger needs to have this level of commitment to the character, but who can bring that kind of power to the role, without being detracted from by Depp’s potentially (maybe definitely) overblown Tonto?

"You're going to act drunk the whole time? Eh. Works for me."

Disney has been heard to have a few big-name options to fill the Ranger’s shoes; George Clooney and Nick Cage to name two.  Cage has been stumping for big-budget Disney pictures for a while now (Sorcerer’s Apprentice, National Treasure) but it’s been less than thrilling, to say the least.  Cage could work though, he really does end up underrated a lot of the time, but he needs to be a little less wizardly, and a little more Kick-Ass if he wants to head this one up. The better choice, if he’s interested of course, would be Clooney.  He was able to keep Brad Pitt and Matt Damon at bay as the star of the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, so it’s a safe guess his own star power would compliment Depp’s nicely. 

Verbinski is a solid action film director, who always manages to blend family-safe comedy into his bigger films; he’s a logical choice to take on The Lone Ranger.  Let’s just hope that, if these are the two they’re courting for this, Disney manages to land Clooney over Cage.  Hey, we already know he looks alright in a mask, it’d just be nice if the movie wasn’t awful despite of it.

Comments

[Nelson]

Clooney as the Ranger would be awesome!