Movies News

Disney resets 'Lone Ranger' date following reworked budget

By Adnan Tezer Oct 14, 2011, 19:46 GMT

Disney has set a new release date of May 31, 2013, for their bigscreen version of the iconic "The Lone Ranger."

According to Variety, the original release date had been December 21, 2012.

Gore Verbinski is directing from a script by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.

Armie Hammer is starring as the Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto.

The cast also includes Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter and Dwight Yoakam.

Jerry Bruckheimer is producing.

The film had been in jeopardy for the last two months after Disney had halted production because of a budget that had ballooned to $250 million as well as the recent financial disappointment of the pricey sci-fi western "Cowboys and Aliens."

Following a script rewrite to eliminate some pricey sci-fi special effects scenes as well as deferred payments and a 20% pay reduction by Verbinski, Bruckheimer, Depp and Hammer, the budget has been reworked to $215 million.

Bruckheimer has also agreed to personally cover any budget overruns.

Production will begin in February.

"The Lone Ranger" was created by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker.

The title character is a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West who rights the injustices he encounters with the aid of his wise Native American companion, Tonto.

"The Lone Ranger" premiered on radio in 1933, leading to nearly 3,000 radio shows, while the TV series with Clayton Moore ran for five seasons beginning in 1949.

Many of the sayings on the show, ("Kemo Sabe," "Hi-ho, Silver, away," "Who was that masked man, anyway?") have become embedded in pop culture as well as the theme music from the William Tell Overture.

Reruns of the original TV show are still broadcast today, sixty-two years after their initial broadcast.