Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp officially saddle up for 'Lone Ranger'
Depp's schedule shaping up with one blockbuster after another
The Lone Ranger, seen here in his recent Dynamite Comics incarnation drawn by John Cassaday, is officially on his way back to the bigscreen in a film with Johnny Depp directed by Gore Verbinski
Some lucky journalists are going to get an early look at "Rango" footage soon, and I'm curious to hear the reactions to the latest collaboration between Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp. I know that before they left on their four-month trip, both Toshi and Allen were mesmerized by the "Rango" trailer, asking to see it at least once a day, and in Allen's case, three or four times a day for a week or two.
As Depp wraps up work on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," his first time playing Captain Jack Sparrow without Verbinski as director, he's looking at spending much of his next year playing with familiar partners. He recently cemented plans to shoot "Dark Shadows" with Tim Burton at the start of the year, and it sounds like he'll segue right afterwards into "The Lone Ranger," where he'll play Tonto for Verbinski, who will direct from a script by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio with rewrites by Justin Haythe.
It's funny that The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet are, technically speaking, related. The characters share a common creator, George W. Trendle, and they share familial bonds that explain why they share the same mask and a fondness for a hyper-capable sidekick. They are very similar film properties in some regards. People recognize the iconography of the titles, and they may know some character names like Kato or Tonto, but when it comes down to it, if you asked any random hundred people on the street to tell you the story, they couldn't. As a result, you've got a lot of latitude for how faithful you have to be in building a modern-day version of the story for audiences.
With "The Lone Ranger," you've got the story of a Texas Ranger, part of a team who are ambushed and slaughtered. Left for dead, one man is rescued by a native American who nurses him back to health and then becomes his companion as he sets out to dispense justice from behind a mask, a phantom of sorts. How you play that story could result in a hundred different actual films depending on tone, and so far the only clue we have about what sort of film it's going to be is the casting of Depp as Tonto. That's a pretty bold move in the year 2010, and I think only someone as beloved as Depp could even think about doing it.
I'm still itching to get a look at "The Rum Diary," the film that Depp made last year with Bruce Robinson, the writer/director of the classic "Withnail & I," and it sounds like this "Lone Ranger" deal is a firm commitment, and not just a development deal. If so, that means Depp's working with his two most frequent filmmaking collaborators back to back next year.
We'll have more on this one as details emerge, and I expect we'll start seeing lists of guys who would look good on a horse soon as they look for a Ranger to saddle up next to Tonto. The funniest part of this being "news" is that this is pretty much what everyone expected would happen since Disney announced Depp's casting as Tonto in 2008 at a special press event, and now it feels like the other shoe finally dropped.
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About This Blog
Los Angeles has changed since 1990, and Drew McWeeny, all-around Chauncey Gardner of movie fandom, has seen it all as an industry insider and screenwriter who wrote for 12 years as "Moriarty" for Ain't It Cool News.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupGKLondon
November 24, 2010 at 9:12AM EST Reply to CommentNathan Fillion for the Lone Ranger?
Couldn't have guessed anybody'd suggest that.
November 24, 2010 at 10:02AM ESTMy vote's for Josh Brolin.
GKLondon Both would be great, but I'd like to see Fillion be in something that will make the most of his charisma and also have people actually watch it (though I must admit I've no idea what the viewing figures for Castle are like). I'm not a "browncoat" or whatever, I've not even seen all of Firefly, I just like the guy.
November 24, 2010 at 10:10AM EST
Fair enough. I've got no opinion on Fillion, only know his face.
November 24, 2010 at 11:50PM ESTSquaw
November 24, 2010 at 11:25AM EST Reply to CommentI love Depp, but I wish he'd pass on The Lone Ranger and anything else written by Elliot & Rossio - they've fallen into a creative rut.
jim
November 24, 2010 at 6:24PM EST Reply to CommentI think this will be good, especially if they play it funny. Depp as Tonto could be the smart funny one who constantly has to cover for the dippy arrogant Lone Ranger. (I just can't get Zapp Brannigan out of my head!!)
Rick That would be a horrible idea. The Lone Ranger isn't a comedy. The Lone Ranger isn't dippy or arrogant. His family and friends are all shot to death in an ambush with Reid on the verge of death. He vows to avenge not only their deaths, but the principles they stood for.
November 24, 2010 at 7:03PM EST
November 24, 2010 at 7:55PM EST Reply to Commentwhy is nathan fillion or jon hamm brought up for every major geek role??? Give me a break, they're both decent but there are better choices out there.
dan Jerod - My own theory? The Lone Ranger, like Batman and Superman and various comic book heroes, is a throwback to a different version of masculinity, one that precious few American actors embody while also being capable actors. Fillion and Hamm are both clearly throwback actors. They're square-jawed alpha males in an industry that prefers scrawny pretty boys. Does that mean that either of them is the best candidate for every part that fanboys are interested in? Probably not. But they're from a different mold...
November 24, 2010 at 9:19PM EST-Daniel
Jodeo
November 24, 2010 at 7:59PM EST Reply to CommentLone Ranger: George Clooney
George Clooney: Butch Cavendish
November 24, 2010 at 11:48PM EST