aug 17, 2011 - HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Lone Ranger: Director, Producer Offer to Trim Fees in Budget Battle

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Disney's $250 million Western appears doomed amid a frantic effort to save the project.

Will the Lone Ranger cry “Hi-ho Silver!” or ride into the sunset? Disney shocked Hollywood by pulling the plug Aug. 12 on the $250 million-budgeted Western, which was scheduled to enter production in the fall with Johnny Depp starring as Tonto. While the studio is giving director Gore Verbinski a week to rework the script and bring costs down significantly, many associated with the project believe the budget pressures are too drastic to salvage the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie as it was conceived and developed.

A source close to the dealmaking says studio chief Rich Ross believes the “substantial budget gap” can only be bridged by Verbinski reimagining some of the bigger sequences and a few “give-backs” from the talent — moves that those working on the film have been uninterested in making.

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