The biggest draw to Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney’s theatrical reboot of Lone Ranger won’t be the familiar brand, the gunfights, whichever actor scores the Ranger role or whether the original Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski locks in to direct the film.
Already attached to star as the Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto is Johnny Depp who recently offered a few thoughts about the upcoming project to EW. He said based on the current screenplay the film will be “really great” as well as “really funny,” which might be how many would describe how Disney handled the tone of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film.
Depp also hopes to portray Native Americans in a more positive light as Tonto, claiming that Hollywood to-date has “badly portrayed” them. “It’s a real opportunity for me to give a salute to them, Depp said. “Tonto was a sidekick in all the Lone Ranger series. [This film] is a very different approach to that partnership. And a funny one I think.”
When Lone Ranger will ride is the big question that still needs to be answered. Though the film already has a logo, Disney is moving forward on a script for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 that would most likely star Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow again. Depp also has Dark Shadows coming up and possibly Triple Frontier so his schedule over the next couple years might be tough to squeeze two big Disney productions into.
For now the Lone Ranger will have to keep that saddle on stand-by.
