It may not be released until 2014, but Gore Verbinski and Disney have already started talking to actors for their big-budget update of The Lone Ranger. Late last year the Rango and Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3 director signed on to helm the film with Johnny Depp attached as Tonto. The Wrap exclusively reports that the Oscar-nominated Ryan Gosling is now in talks to become The Lone Ranger.
Gosling has a busy schedule ahead of him. He will be appearing in George Clooney‘s The Ides of March later this year. He also has his first foray in comedy with the funny-looking Crazy, Stupid, Love. this summer. But most of all I’m looking forward to Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Drive, which just got announced for Cannes. Gosling will then jump into production on Refn’s next film, a Logan’s Run remake, this fall. After that he is rumored for Gangster Squad and a possible re-team with his Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. We’ll have to wait and see if he can fit The Lone Ranger in his schedule.
Jerry Bruckheimer will produce the film that began as a radio show, then transformed into a TV series with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in the late 40’s up to the late 50’s. Written by Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road), Verbinski recently talked about the project:
“The only version of ‘The Lone Ranger’ I’m interested in doing is ‘Don Quixote’ told from Sancho Panza’s point of view. And hence I was honest early on with Johnny that Tonto is the part. We’re not going to do it [straight], everyone knows that story. I don’t want to tell that story. I want the version from the untrustworthy narrator who might be a little crazy — but somehow the question is, is he crazy or is the world crazy? That, I find fascinating.”
The Lone Ranger has a tentative 2014 release date.
What do you think about Gosling possibly playing The Lone Ranger?