After several delays and budget cuts, Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” is finally riding into town, and the studio seems eager to build an early buzz by releasing a photo of stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.
Reuniting the “Pirates of the Caribbean” team of Depp, director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot, this version of the 1930s radio hero is likewise aiming for family-friendly adventure.
Depp plays the Native American spirit warrior Tonto, who joins up with John Reid (“The Social Network’s” Hammer), a Texas Ranger-turned-masked vigilante, to fight crime and corruption on the frontier.
“Ranger” also stars Tom Wilkinson (“Batman Begins”), William Fichtner (“Black Hawk Down”), Barry Pepper (“True Grit”) and Helena Bonham.
Take a look at Depp and Hammer here:
While he’s wearing almost as many accessories as Jack Sparrow, Depp actually looks a bit more like his “Dead Man” character here. Hammer, meanwhile, strikes a handsome pose, although the mask — perhaps inevitably — looks a bit silly. It’s hard to gather what the film’s tone will be just from the one still, but it already looks slightly more serious (and perhaps a shade darker) than the three Verbinski-directed “Pirates” movies.
Depp, who teamed with Verbinski on the Oscar-winning “Rango,” will next be seen in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” redo, while Hammer will appear opposite Snow White (Lily Collins) in Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror.”
“The Lone Ranger” opens in May 2013.
What do you think of the image?