I have no vested interest in The Lone Ranger. If it’s made and looks interesting I will see it, but it isn’t making my most anticipated list any time soon. What I do wish I could see is the meeting or meetings where this movie has been pitched, sold, and discussed. How does anyone look at The Lone Ranger and see major tent pole potential? How do you take that concept and then propose a $250 million dollar budget for the film? What is it about the film that inspires such artistic integrity that those who were wanting to make the film would walk away if they couldn’t get such an exorbitant sum? If this movie does get made it may be interesting, if it doesn’t get made it will definitely make for an interesting story for a film historian to write up on someday. I can’t be the only one to whom this project makes no sense. But it’s still around and working towards production, despite recent news to the contrary.
Last month Sabastian OB reported that the production was cancelled because the $250 million (!) dollar budget was too steep but the movie just couldn’t be done for less. Then we learned from Renn that the reason for the crazy huge budget was due to their wanting to have werewolves be involved in the story that focused on honoring Native Americans. Somehow they thought they could mix the Bruckheimereque crazy spectacle we got in increasingly bloated fashion through the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with a sensitivity towards Native American culture and history. How are they going to do that? Can they pull it off? My guess is no, but finding out for sure is the only thing keeping me interested in this project.
Now Deadline is reporting that the once dead project is back up among the living. Director Gore Verbinski and producer Bruckheimer have figured out a way to trim off some of the budget, bringing it down to a thin $215 million (how will they ever survive?!) by cutting down production time, trimming down on budget (while not sacrificing that all important spectacle), and reworking deals for star Johnny Depp, Verbinski and Bruckheimer. If these numbers offend you congratulations you’re still a grounded human being.
Thank God they worked out all the financials on this. I was beginning to worry, what with The Lone Ranger being cancelled last month, that Hollywood might start pulling away entirely from these big budget extravaganzas and put their energy towards smaller films that used interesting story and characters to make up for their lack of financial resources. We dodged a bullet there!