Hi-yo idiosyncratic indie film darling! Away!
Ryan Gosling, the Taylor Lautner of the Williamsburg/Silverlake set, is allegedly in talks to star in Disney's upcoming big screen revival of The Lone Ranger. And what a blockbuster revival it would be, too: Gore Verbinski, he of the first 3 Pirates of the Caribbean movies, is set to direct, and would be re-united with power producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp, who is slated to play the Ranger's Indian sidekick, Tonto.
This wouldn't be Gosling first dip in the big boy, bigger-budget pool, though. Gosling is already slated to star in the reboot of Logan's Run, which is scheduled to begin filming this fall. And of course, Johnny Depp is already committed to Tim Burton's film version of Dark Shadows, so this version of T_he Lone Ranger_ may not see the light of day until 2014, at which point we can all take our hoverboards and flying cars to see it with a double feature of Jaws 19.
According to Verbinski, expect a tone closer to Wild, Wild West than True Grit
The only version of The Lone Ranger I'm interested in doing is Don Quixote told from Sancho Panza's point of view... And hence I was honest early on with Johnny that Tonto is the part. We're not going to do it [straight], everyone knows that story. I don't want to tell that story.
In fact, it sounds like Verbinski's take on The Lone Ranger might be comprable to Michel Gondry's take on The Green Hornet (appropriate since the Ranger is supposed to be related to Britt Reid's Hornet): a jokey, ironic take on a classic vigilante where a doofy hero is propped up by his wiser sidekick. I didn't much care for Seth Rogen's superhero, but Gosling is an infinitely stronger actor, so maybe this Lone Ranger will merit his William Tell Overture.
ยทRyan Gosling in Talks to Join Johnny Depp in 'The Lone Ranger' [The Wrap]