The Fate of Johnny Depp's 'The Lone Ranger' Decided This Weekend?

The long proposed Lone Ranger movie from director Gore Verbinski, which would star Johnny Depp as the newly instituted main character of Tonto has appeared doomed since the beginning.  Production was stopped due to budget concerns ($250 million dollar movie!), and Depp reportedly said earlier in the week he would jump ship if Verbinski isn't attached to direct.

Now, according to Variety, Disney wants to sit down with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Verbinski over this Labor Day weekend to discuss a new budget, or the project won't make it to production.

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Production for 'Lone Ranger' Shuts Down

Walt Disney Studios shut down the production of Lone Ranger, a big-budget film with the talents of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp in the cast and Gore Verbinski in the directing chair.  According to a report by Deadline, Disney halted the production (the film was in preproduction mode and filming was slated to start in October) due to budget concerns.  

Disney wants the budget for the film to be closer to the $200 million mark, rather than the current $250 million.  Verbinski and the production team are trying to find ways to cut off the extra money, but still haven't came up with sufficient cuts to meet the studio's heads demands.  The budget concerns may not be jerks and not give filmmakers what they need for their vision, but an economic decision.  

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It's Official...Armie Hammer to Suit up as 'The Lone Ranger'

A couple of weeks ago, we reported that actor Armie Hammer, who played both of the Winklevoss twins in David Fincher's The Social Network was circling his wagons around the role of The Lone Ranger for Disney.  Now Variety claims Hammer has finally decided to accept the role of the iconic masked cowboy, who will serve as the sidekick to Johnny Depp's Tonto. 

The relatively new young actor may have beat out previously rumored A-list actors in George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling, as well as my preference for the role, TV star Timothy Olyphant to become the Ranger. 

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Timothy Olyphant to Play 'The Lone Ranger' for Gore Verbinski?

It's no secret that director Gore Verbinski has picked Johnny Depp to play the iconic Tonto for The Lone Ranger project.  What has long been the mystery is who will play the popular cowboy riding side by side with Depp's Tonto.  Early speculation led us to big names like George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but it turns out Verbinski may have a cast member from his upcoming animated film Rango in mind to fill the boots of the masked cowboy. 

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Verbinski, fresh off of promoting Rango, mentioned Justified/Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant as a candidate to play his version of The Lone Ranger.

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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."

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