Namtar here… back in the nostalgic saddle!
The Lone Ranger
[Gunshots are fired]
The Lone Ranger: Hi-yo, Silver!
Narrator: A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-yo Silver” – the Lone Ranger!
The Lone Ranger: Hi-yo, Silver, away!
Narrator: With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early west. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!
Back in August, Disney Studios announced it was postponing production on the big-screen revival of “The Lone Ranger.” The concern was over its inflated budget, which was hovering at around $250 million. (Remember, “Avatar” only cost $247 million to make, and it was mostly CGI.) Over the Labor Day weekend, executives at Disney were to review the new budget and decide on whether to proceed with production. Apparently, the film called for extensive CGI scenes involving “werewolves and Native American aspects.” Those parts have been trimmed from the script, but there is more news. Actor Johnny Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Gore Verbinski have agreed to take pay cuts to help get the film back on the range and in front of cameras. Disney wants production costs to come in at around $200 million. The reason is most studios are a little gun-shy after the release of DreamWorks and Universal Picture’s Sci-Fi Western “Cowboys and Aliens. The film cost $163 million to make and it took a bath behind “The Smurfs” at the box office. The poor performance for this feature set warning bells off at the studios and they are hesitant, with the poor economy, in investing large sums of capital. Now, the waiting game begins and only time will tell.
Just for fun. Here is a little insight into the plot of “The Lone Ranger.”
Co-screenwriter Ted Elliott posted some Lone Ranger plot details on a private writer’s website, and the writer shared them with Hollywood-Elsewhere:
“It was always going to be a big Bruckheimer CG movie with traditional Bruckheimer elements [and] an eye toward being a tentpole –totally Pirates-style. It was going to be a Tonto show mainly. Tonto as the top dog and more dominant than the Lone Ranger. Tonto and the Indian spirits like Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Force. The driving engine was going to be Native American occult aspects worked in with werewolves and special effects, [b]ut flavored with doses of Native American spirituality in a serious way.”
Currently in production limbo “The Lone Ranger” is tentatively scheduled for a December 21st, 2012 release. If the film is made, it will star Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, and Dwight Yoakam. Gore Verbinski directs.
Source: IMDb, deadline, cinemablend, screenrant