Can Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski do for cowboys and Indians what they previously did for pirates? We'll find out soon enough, as today we have proof that the troubled, years-in-development new version of The Lone Ranger will actually hit theaters.
A new full-length trailer for next summer's The Lone Ranger hit the web today, and it's full of everything you've come to expect from the people who convinced us that the British East India Company operated in the West indies. It's definitely an original story, but it's also apparent that the film will treat the desert of west Texas with the same kind of cheesy awe that the Pirates films did the Caribbean, which is fine by me. The trailer shows us how Tonto and Kemosabe become pals, how the Ranger takes up the mask, and how the west Texas (actually, New Mexico) desert has some rather spectacular scenery.
Incidentally, despite seeing more of Armie Hammer's Ranger, I'm still getting the impression that Tonto is the main character. If that turns out to be the case, it'll be an interesting twist on the Anglo-centric
view of the old West.
So, will this be a hit? There hasn't been a successful filmed take on the character since The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold in 1958, that film an extension of the popular TV series which ran on ABC from 1949 to 1957. The last theatrical attempt was the 1981 flop The Legend of The Lone Ranger, the less said about which, the better. And after the failure of Cowboys and Aliens, there's a real sense that Westerns tend to flop (Brokeback Mountain notwithstanding). It's probably more likely that boring Westerns flop, however. More importantly, Johnny Depp remains Johnny Depp to the point that even an underperforming movie like Dark Shadows still rakes in $239 million.
So what do you think? Fire off your silver bullets in comments.
While Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer and director Gore Verbinski are working to turn Disney's rudderless blockbuster ship around with The Lone Ranger, Hollywood megaproducer and Twitter mainstay Jerry Bruckheimer has been busy dropping clues about and glimpses at the the making of the film from behind the scenes. If you are even the least bit interested in how this one's coming together, you could do worse than keep an eye on Bruckheimer's tweets. more »
When the Academy announced its nominations last month for Best Animated Feature, two waves of surprise washed over Oscar watchers: Not only was Pixar left out in the cold for the first time in its history, but also two lesser-known films from abroad made the cut in the category: the noir-y French entry A Cat in Paris and the Spanish-language jazz-romance Chico and Rita. The directors of those films, along with Kung Fu Panda 2 helmer Jennifer Yuh Nelson, one of few female directors nominated this year, spoke with Movieline about the recognition from the Academy, technologies such as 3-D and motion capture, and their Oscar night excitement. more »
When Disney pulled the plug on its expensive Lone Ranger project, which was to reunite Pirates of the Caribbean cohorts Johnny Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Gore Verbinski, a few industry-watchers held out hope that the studio and the filmmakers would yet still reach an agreement over how many hundreds of millions of dollars the would-be franchise would cost. Almost exactly two months later, it seems they've reached that compromise. More stupid money for someone!
Big, bad news, Lone Ranger fans: According to Deadline, Disney has decided to halt production on Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger, which was to star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the titular masked crusader. The pricey blockbuster was to begin filming this October, but too many other $200M+ projects set up at the studio may have led to the project's demise.
He's 6'5", 220 pounds, and there's... one of him! According to Deadline, The Social Network's Armie Hammer has been tapped for Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger, in which he'll play the titular Old West masked crusader opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto. After the film's long and winding road to development, Hammer marks the last major piece of the HR puzzle although Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have yet to find the requisite love interest and villain. Any ideas as to who'd make a good foil to both Hammer's stoic All-American boyishness and Depp's worldly swagger? [Deadline]
