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At first, Disney's adaptation of The Lone Ranger seemed to be going swimmingly. Armie Hammer was cast in May to star in the title role alongside Johnny Depp as Tonto, the Lone Ranger's sidekick, and, weeks later, Disney gave the movie a prime release date of December 21, 2012. Then, just as more actors were being added to the movie's cast, Disney shut down production after the studio balked at the movie's $250 million (and growing) price tag.
Depp recently admitted that the budget bargaining was part of the plan, and, in an interview with THR, producer Jerry Bruckheimer explained why the delay wasn't the biggest surprise.
what got cut? >> Posted 10.19.11 by Ryan -
Finally, Disney's adaptation of The Lone Ranger rides again.
The movie has had the easiest road to the big screen, with plans for the Lone Ranger in place since 2008 with Johnny Depp attached to play The Lone Ranger's sidekick, Tonto. Armie Hammer (The Social Network) was eventually cast as the Lone Ranger, but Disney shut down production last month, fearing that the $250+ million budget was spiraling out of control, but it looks like those budget issues have finally been ironed out.
what changed? >> Posted 09.24.11 by Ryan -
Johnny Depp has previously suggested both Brad Pitt and George Clooney for the lead role in director Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger, but he'll have to settle for Armie Hammer instead. Hammer played the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, and now will have Depp as his sidekick Tonto in the Disney movie being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Hammer has been discussed in association with the role for weeks, though for a couple days word was that he'd lost out to Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), who had seemingly landed the role before his schedule made it impossible.
Variety reports The Lone Ranger will be Depp's next project after finishing Dark Shadows with director Tim Burton. There's no release date currently for Lone Ranger but the report claims it could open in the fall of 2012.
Revolutionary Road screenwriter Justin Haythe wrote the The Lone Ranger script, which Depp described as "funny" in January.
Posted 05.18.11 by Ryan -
Since 2008 Johnny Depp has been attached to play Tonto in producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski's remake of The Lone Ranger, but the title role has remained empty. Until now.
Depp has previously suggested both Brad Pitt and George Clooney for the role, but, according to The Wrap, Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) is in talks to star in the Disney project. The actor may be too busy for the movie — in February, Gosling was cast as the lead in another remake, Logan's Run, for director Nicolas Refn. Deadline reports that Gosling is "one of several actors" being considered for the part, so Gosling's reported casting may be premature.
The Lone Ranger script is being written by Revolutionary Road screenwriter Justin Haythe and has been described by Depp as "funny." The movie isn't expected to hit theaters until 2014.
Posted 04.18.11 by Ryan -
A nearly seven-minute international (don't worry, it's not dubbed) preview clip from director Gore Verbinski's (Pirates of the Caribbean) new CG-animated feature, Rango, has appeared online in advance of Friday's nationwide opening. Written by John Logan (Gladiator) from an idea conceived by Verbinski and James Ward Byrkit, Rango tells the story of a domesticated chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who accidentally winds up in the dusty—and deadly—desert town of Dirt and reinvents himself as the seven-with-one-bullet gunslinger known simply as Rango.
watch the extended preview clip >> Posted 03.02.11 by BrentJS -
A new preview clip has debuted online for director Gore Verbinski's CG-animated, "emotion-captured" feature, Rango, which stars Johnny Depp as a chameleon who finds himself an unlikely hero in the tiny, desert town of Dirt. Verbinski has described Rango as "a thespian in search of an audience," an apt description for the latest clip, which sees Rango attempt to lead a posse through the desert.
watch the clip >> Posted 02.16.11 by Ryan -
Anti Records has released online the full theme song from director Gore Verbinski's (Pirates of the Caribbean) new CG-animated feature, Rango, performed by three-time Grammy Award-winning band Los Lobos. Written by John Logan (Gladiator) from an idea conceived by Verbinski and James Ward Byrkit, Rango tells the story of a pet chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who accidentally winds up in the lawless, dusty desert town of Dirt. Welcomed by the beleaguered denizens as a savior, Rango is happy to play the role of sheriff...until real trouble arrives in town. Additional celebrity voices include Abigail Breslin, Ray Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton, and Timothy Olyphant.
listen to the theme song from Rango >> Posted 02.03.11 by BrentJS -
Director Gore Verbinski shed some light on his new CG-animated feature, Rango, back in July by explaining that the plot centers around a pet chameleon who is "a thespian in search of an audience" who finds himself in a desert town "hungry for a hero." He also introduced the unique filmmaking process he dubbed "emotion capture," which he said encourges "a kinetic, raw spark to the audio track" not found in typical, "manufactured" animated features. Now, a new B-roll featurette for the movie has been released that offers a hilarious look at "emotion capture" in action as title star Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy and others act out the scenes that will later be animated.
watch the new featurette >> Posted 12.24.10 by BrentJS -
The initial teaser trailer for director Gore Verbinski's CG-animated Rango wasn't too revealing, leaving viewers scratching their heads over what the movie was about. The second trailer shows the chameleon Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) out in the desert, clearly unfamiliar with the environment. Verbinski explained in July that Rango is a pet chameleon "in search of an audience" which he finds in the small town of Dirt, which the director said is "really hungry for a hero, and they get the great pretender." That aspect is in full display in the second trailer, which shows Rango channeling Clint Eastwood to become the town's protector from the area's natural predators.
watch the trailer >> Posted 12.14.10 by Ryan -
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been talking about a Lone Ranger remake for Disney since 2008, with Johnny Depp set to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger's partner. Revolutionary Road screenwriter Justin Haythe came on board in February, but with no director in place, though Mike Newell was rumored as the director until he publicly denied any involvement. Depp's collaborator for three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the upcoming, animated Rango — director Gore Verbinski — was rumored to be directing in September, and now he's been confirmed by Deadline.
No word yet on when this will go into production, though Depp will be busy shooting Dark Shadows with director Tim Burton starting next April. No actor has been cast for the title role, though George Clooney was once rumored for the role.
Depp recently wrapped production on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and is rumored to be attached to several projects that could reach production next year, including a Thin Man remake. Verbinski's and Depp's Rango will reach theaters March 4, 2011.
Posted 11.28.10 by Ryan