The Lone Ranger

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First Look at 'The Lone Ranger' Stars Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer in Costume From Jerry Bruckheimer
The mega-producer sends out a first look at the duo in the re-imagining of the old western classic.
Source: THR

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In the initial 1949 episode of the TV series of The Lone Ranger, each and every one of the Texas Rangers is killed in an ambush -- except for one. Gravely wounded, he's nursed back to health by a friendly Native American named Tonto, and together they would ride on to grand adventures, taking on the evil Butch Cavendish and his gang as well as loads of other bad guys.

In a strange parallel, the blockbuster movie retelling of the famed western also nearly died, only to be saved in part by Johnny Depp -- the man who had long sought to take on and redefine the role of Tonto.

After production shut down on the Disney film in August due to its sky-high price tag, budget cuts and a few compromises earned it another ride in front of the camera by late September, with a May 31, 2013 release date. Filming began in late February, with director Gore Verbinski, the director of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, settling in with stars Depp and Armie Hammer, who plays the title hero, in New Mexico. 

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who was instrumental in getting the film back on target, tweeted a photo from the set on Thursday morning, providing the first look at Depp and Hammer in their costumes. More authentic -- and ostentatious -- than the original TV series, the two stars look out into the rocky horizon, hardened by the challenges of the wild west. Or, so it can be assumed.

As for what the film lost in cuts, Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter back in October that filmgoers shouldn't be worried about a compromise in quality.

"We cut a sequence involving a coyote attack -- supernatural coyotes -- and a small animated segment," he said. "The train [scenes] are intact. We trimmed it a little bit. Gore made some sacrifices creatively, but nothing that would hurt the film. We had to work it out. The studio set a number, and it was always our responsibility to get to the number."

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Jack White Saddles Up To Score 'The Lone Ranger'
Source: Playlist

The filmmakers behind "The Lone Ranger" haven't been wasting any time in getting the word out that this won't just be a standard reboot of the show your Dad falls asleep watching reruns of on the couch at 2 a.m. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted out the first look at Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer over a month ago, and the cast hasn't been camera shy with people dropping by the set either. But this is perhaps the biggest indication that it will be a departure from the television staple.

Disney has announced that former White Stripes frontman and non-stop rock 'n' roller Jack White will be writing the score for the film. And in a nice bit of contrived coincidence, White also has a new album, Blunderbuss, in stores today. Ahhh, synergy. But cynicism aside, this is a pretty adventurous and smart hire. The idea to have him score the film was apparently concocted by director Gore Verbinski and part-time guitarist/star of the movie, Johnny Depp. For Verbinski, this follows in the footsteps of his last western (of sorts), the animated "Rango" that had Hans Zimmer working with Rodrigo Y Gabriela on the score. And this looks like another ambitious choice that will bring an adventurous spirit to the proceedings.

While he hasn't done a full film score before, White has penned tunes for movies, including "Another Way To Die" for "Quantum of Solace" and appeared in and contributed a cover of "Wayfaring Stranger" to "Cold Mountain." But with much more room to play in, and a whole film to work with, we're definitely curious to see what he pulls together this time around. Anyone for a Depp guitar solo somewhere?

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