Gore Verbinski to Direct The Lone Ranger for Disney

Friday, November 26, 2010

Gore Verbinski to Direct The Lone Ranger for Disney

Back at the end of September, we heard that Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp would re-team with the franchise director Gore Verbinski for a big screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger. The two already followed their swashbuckling series with the peculiar, forthcoming animated flick Rango, but Walt Disney Pictures just announced that they've finalized a deal with Verbinski to direct the story of the classic western hero with Depp still on-board to play the Lone Ranger's trusty Native American sidekick Tonto. However, it's not clear how soon the project will get off the ground or even which actor will step in to the role of the titular hero.

The Lone Ranger's origin story begins with a group of Texas Rangers chasing down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. The gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice. Depending on how big of a priority this project is for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, hopefully we'll hear who will be riding Silver into the sunset soon. Stay tuned.