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EXCLUSIVE: For the first time since Deadline broke the shocking news that Disney had pulled the plug because of a huge budget on the Gore Verbinski-directed The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, insiders tell me that things are starting to look up for the film and there is now optimism that the picture might actually get made. Back on August 12, Disney derailed a film that had a December 21, 2012, release date because the budget had gone to the stratosphere. Insiders feared the film could cost $275 million, though my sources at that time said the filmmakers had already taken $10 million out and got it to $232 million. No matter which of those numbers you embrace, that’s a lot of dough for a Western, and it’s probably not coincidence this standoff happened after the mega-budget Cowboys & Aliens tanked, and proved to be one of the summer’s biggest debacles.
Disney pulled the plug and initially demanded the film be brought down to $200 million; producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Verbinski have been trying for a number closer to $215 million. Deadline has reported Depp won’t make the movie without Verbinski, his director on the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films and Rango, so it is an all or nothing proposition because this film would never get made without the world’s most bankable male star. Verbinski’s difficult challenge has been to pare costs while retaining the spectacle that made the movie worth making in the first place. Bruckheimer, Depp and Verbinski have all made salary concessions to get the film made. We should have an answer shortly, but don’t be surprised if The Lone Ranger rides again.
Disney Dilemma: Johnny Depp Won’t Make ‘Lone Ranger’ Without Gore: Verbinski & Bruckheimer Bring Lower Budget To Studio
Disney’s Rich Ross Hopes For ‘Lone Ranger,’ But Is His Gore Verbinski Omission Telling?
Shocker! Disney Halts ‘The Lone Ranger’ With Johnny Depp And Gore Verbinski
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It doesn’t really matter what you get a budget to. It matters what the budget ends up being once the film is finished. If they’re starting at 215m (which in itself is absurd for a Lone Ranger movie) it’ll end up closer to 250-275m. Between this and John Carter, it’ll be so-long-cya in no time for Mr. Ross and Mr. Bailey.
Trying to reduce the budget by less than ten percent to get a green light is an exercise is denial by the studio and a game for the production. Movies of this size can easily go well over 20% over budget, and getting them to artificially reduce now means they will probably pay it later anyway. History says so.
I’ve read it. It’s potentially a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad tie-in (Disneyland, Disneyworld, Tokyo, Paris) and pretty good. Before long the parks will have more animatronic Johnny Depps than Mickeys. No harm if it’s pushed to summer 2013.
I read it, too, and agree: this could spawn a theme park ride, sequels, etc. Let’s remind ourselves that this is the team that took a lame animatronic ride at Disney and turned it into a billion dollar franchise! The script was A LOT of fun, and I kept envisioning Depp & Hammer and thinking that the chemistry would have sparks. I think getting it close to $200 million and allowing for a 10% growth to $220ish is a smart move by the studio. Fingers crossed, but I frankly would love to see this happen.
My question is this — who is pay or play? How much would it cost if they don’t end up making the movie, with the penalties and what they’ve already spent on preproduction? And they’re playing around with the difference between $215 and $232? Seriously?
They should stick to 2D and save themselves the money, and headaches.
It’s a bit of a ridiculous amount of money but will probably pay off in post-movie ride/marketing profits because a whole new generation or two will buy into the world of the Ranger. Plus, knowing Depp, it’ll have a very different and positive look at the Native American aspect.
But mainly, I just want to see excellent actor Armie Hammer rip up the title role, because nothing he’s done has captured how good he is quite yet, and he and Depp will be a complete hoot together.
They wan to push the film to summer 2013.
Why so expensive? Because this is as much a western as POTC was a standard pirate adventure. Think lots of supernatural creatures that require tons of pricey CGI and you’re on the mark. That’s why it’s so costly. It’s not Shanghai Noon, people.
That’s a valid argument. However, if you compare the production budget of the first Pirates ($140 million) to “On Stranger Tides” ($250 million) and the quality and quantity of special effects used in each, I think it should be the other way around.
On Stranger Tides had some mermaids for about 5-10 minutes and not even a great finale or something which could have cost THAT much. I wonder where all the money went if not into the salary of a few major players.
I think you’ve answered your own question: salaries. Didn’t Johnny Depp get $5M for the first one? He was far from being an established box-office draw at that point. I think his only $100M+ domestic grosser was Sleepy Hollow? I’m assuming the other actors received less, and I doubt if they got points as it was a big gamble at the time. Now Depp would be getting tens of millions in salary and back-end just to pick up the phone, ditto Verbinski. I read an interview with Knightly & Bloom where they said the charming exuberance of the performances in the first one was because they all thought it would tank, so they just relaxed and enjoyed working in the tropics for a few months. The other issue is that At Worlds End (for example) was completed within a couple of days of opening because of all the CGI, I think it was reported here on deadline that the prints were still wet when they were sent to cinemas. Not cheap. Armie Hammer is probably getting peanuts, but you can see why The Lone Ranger will cost a similar amount because it’s basically the same sort of fantasy/action movie with stacks of CGI. Just tally up all the fancy shots, sets, night shoots, lengthy action sequences, followed by lengthy post-production etc. They can’t just shoot on location in LA because it’s a period piece. Also, it’s going to be shot outdoors, a budget green-screen Robert Rodriguez production isn’t Disney’s style, not for something that’s meant to LOOK expensive. I simply don’t understand all these comments from people saying it should cost less than $100M. I honestly think it’s as close to a safe bet as you can get these days and Disney should greenlight it ASAP.
Very few films have generated such a personal negative response…but, this one sets the bar for me…who cares!
And, the budget doesn’t really matter other than to be a point of discussion.
What Johnny wants…Johnny gets…good luck Rich Ross/Disney…this may be a career breaker for many Disney execs.
And, I hear…quite confidentially…Disney is very close to casting and green lighting Charlie Sheen as Prince Valiant with ILM doing the visual effects and Steven Spielberg directing with Bruckheimer producing…in, of course 4D. The extra D is for DUMB!
Let’s guess which is more likely…this film succeeding either creatively or economically or Obama getting a second term.
You gotta love Hollywood…
Charlie Sheen as Prince Valiant? How bout Jay Silverheels as Jack Sparrow?
We’re talking another Billion Dollar Box Office here easily, and probably within the first 10 days of release. We’re in the realm of what the film version of “Wild Wild West” could have been with another $100 million thrown in. All well and good, capitalism at it’s finest.
But at $250 million, there are at least ten $25 million original and brilliant scripts floating around in Hollywood which could possibly result in “Blair Witch” returns.
Whatever the hell you’re smoking, stop it right now.
Wouldn’t it be great if some enterprising reporter, oh, like like one maybe here, would simply break down the budget to show the above and below the line costs? I’d wager that the above the line costs for the major players would account for a surprising – and obscene – percentage.
Big fan of Johnny Depp and I’d love to see the movie, but I totally understand why the studio wouldn’t want to risk that kind of money on a western. Remember that the last time they put a large amount into a western was Alamo, and financially thst was a total disaster. Disney may still be smarting from the memory of it. Then add the results of Cowboys & Aliens and you can see their hesitation here.
Why in the world would this movie cost $275 million to make? That’s ridiculous!
Get some quality writers capable of crafting a good yarn, do it overseas and non-union (unions are death) ……. $35 million.
And there you go – a profitable movie.
LONE RANGERS THE MOVIE HAVE BETTER MADE ALOT OF MONEY FOR THE COST OF $215 MILLION DOLLARS. I AM JUST PRAYING AND HOPPING THAT IT WON’T BE A BOMB WHEN IT FINALLY RELEASE. GOOD LUCK TODISNEY FILM WHEN IT FINALLY FELEASE. YOUR TRULY CHARLES DAVID HASKELL
Anyone who thinks Disney would make their money back from revamping Big Thunder with Johnny Depp figures doesn’t quite understand how little money they make from one ride. It would cost a TON of cash to re-do the ride, meanwhile losing out on money while it’s closed. And I can tell you, talking to the youngins’ I work with, no one of this new generation has even HEARD of the Lone Ranger.
Maybe if Johnny would reduce his pay for the movie they could make it. But a comedy western, no matter how good it is, costing over $200 mil? Absolutely ridiculous. This is another example of greed gone wrong in Hollywood. Like it’s news.
Even if Disney is planning to tie a theme park ride in with the movie, they’ll screw it up just like they did the POTC ride. Went to Disney World last spring with the family, and while on the POTC ride my 5 YEAR OLD looked at me and said, “This is so boring. Why’d we stand in line for so long?” After spending a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Universal, both my 5 year old and 9 year old said the next time we went back to Orlando, they wanted to spend all their time at Universal Studios.
Disney is resting on their laurels when it comes to the theme park attractions and it’s going to catch up with them sooner rather than later. Universal Studios park is better with regards to rides, restaurant choices, pedistrian traffic flow within the park, and keeping you comfortable and entertained while waiting in long lines for a ride.
Disney needs to take the money they’re going to waste on ‘Lone Ranger’ and use it to overhaul their theme parks before they start losing everyone but the toddler crowd to Universal.
“Went to Disney World last spring with the family, and while on the POTC ride my 5 YEAR OLD looked at me and said, “This is so boring. Why’d we stand in line for so long?”
a) have you looked into Ritalin for your five-year-old? I wonder where your bored child picked up that nasty attention deficit disorder.
b) if you’re standing in a long line for Pirates of the Caribbean at any of the Disney theme parks, then you don’t know what you’re doing. You ride the E-tickets either in the morning or in the evening, and you use the afternoon for small-scale attractions and fast pass attractions. You fail at theme park.
c) Disney has been massively expanding Disneyland Park in California, and they are currently putting a large expansion of Fantasyland into the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. They won’t be finished with Orlando’s new Fantasyland until 2013.
d) Universal caters to people who don’t wear shirts in public. If that’s your scene, go for it.
did he offend you somehow?
It will get made. No doubt about it. Disney does not want to piss off Depp. Who knows? It could actually be good. It couldn’t be worse than the “Pirate” sequels.
Depp says he wants to make a film that put right the plight of tondo and cinematic American Indians in general, but here is a film that nce again stars a white man as an Indian.
This movie will stink if they have all this werewolves and mystical stuff in and make Tonto the star, It’s called The Lone Ranger not Tonto.
It doesn’t say Tonto along with his faithful masked companion, It says “With his faithful Indian companion Tonto” and The Lone Ranger doesn’t fight werewolves and mystical stuff, He fights criminals.
They either need to stay true to the classic or leave it alone, If they want create a new cowboy movie with werewolves and mystical stuff then call it something else
I don’t really care whether or not Cowboys and Aliens was deemed a failure nor do I care about what the haters of Westerns say. I’m a fan of The Lone Ranger and I really want Disney to go forward with Gore Verbinski’s Lone Ranger with the Obi Wan and the Force Tonto aspect included.
Maybe the reason for all the consternation is that the reasoning behind the standstill isn’t the real reason. Just how many greenlighted projects are suddenly halted–whilst extras are being lured in for casting calls–because of budgetary concerns? As if they didn’t know what the budget was going to be from day one of preproduction? C’mon. I’m not buying it. But, then again, is it really anyone’s business what the real reason is? I guess the old saying really is true: “If somebody wrote it, it must be true,” because it looks like you folks are all buying it. BTW, I don’t believe the Disney theme parks and the Disney film entity, share revenue, etc. I do know, however, that the theme park staff get paid next-to-nothing; like it’s supposed to be some privilege just to work there. And, for the record, although Johnny Depp is one of the most talented actors on the face of this planet, he is not a bankable actor. The theme of POTC was simply a sure thing, and he was along for the ride. When the mix is right, it works for him, but just because he’s attached, doesn’t mean that the project’s success is guaranteed.
Oh, wait. One more thing. To prove my point, watch what happens to the Rum Diary (or whatever the title is). I’ve looked into my crystal ball and it said that the film is going to flop. And, I mean even more so, than that Tourist mistake. Anyhow, Happy Halloween to you.
“Johnny Depp’s ‘The Rum Diary’ tanks at the box office”
What did I tell you? I love being right!!!
Bill Murray played a better Hunter Thompson than Johnny Depp, but it was also a matter of Direction and historical focus (more authentic post 60s innocence in “Where the Buffalo Roam”…