'Lone Ranger' returns to the saddle with a lower budget

By Sarah Sluis

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp commented on his recent trend toward starring in blockbusters. "Basically, if they're going to pay me the stupid money right now, I'm going to take it," he said. One of his next "stupid money" projects will be Lone Ranger, though the money just got a little bit less stupid.

Disney halted pre-production of the project in August when the estimated budget ballooned to over $250 million. The re-imagined movie will have a lower, $215 budget, thanks to 20% pay cuts from Depp, Armie Hammer, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinksi. If the production goes over budget, Bruckheimer Films, not Disney, will be on the hook. Variety mentions that the screenplay itself was reworked to rein in the budget, with "some pricey f/x sequences involving supernatural elements" eliminated. What might those "supernatural elements" be, you ask? Werewolves. Apparently, this was done in all seriousness. Depp, who has some Native American heritage, will play the Lone Ranger's sidekick, Tonto, who is also Native American, and he wanted the film to honor, not stereotype, the race. The werewolves (if they're still in the film at all) would be explained as being Native American mythical creatures that turn out to be very real. The choice to adapt Lone Ranger is an unusual one. Most of the remakes currently entering Hollywood involve properties familiar to the younger generation, but this twenty-something only knows of the TV series from pop culture references. Perhaps this level of pre-awareness is enough for a green light from Disney.

Depp's over-the-top Jack Sparrow won over audiences in part because his portrayal made fun of the ridiculously over-the-top spectacle of a film he was in. Will he go for a similar performance as Tonto in the Lone Ranger? The western will be working with a similarly effects-laden story with a large budget to match. Depp has a number of projects in the works right now (including Dark Shadows and The Thin Man), but it appears he'll be free when the production shoots early next year. Most likely, the movie's December 2012 release date will be switched up for a spot in summer 2013, unless they're as fast as the Ranger's "fiery horse with the speed of light and a cloud of dust."