After a spiraling budget and bizarre script that contained, among other things, werewolves, Disney put everyone associated with the project in time-out until they could reach a hard budget of $215 million. Now that the budget is there, The Lone Ranger is once again in production. Reportedly, the poor box office performance of Cowboys and Aliens had Disney execs concerned about the viability of high-concept westerns, even those that star Johnny Depp as a Native American sidekick.

The big question now is whether or not the delayed 2012 start will afford Verbinski and Co. the ability to adhere to their December 21, 2012 release date. (Deadline)

A lot of questions were raised by Friday’s news that the plug had been pulled on The Lone Ranger until the budget could be brought down from the current $250 million. Screenwriter Ted Elliott shed some light on the project, much of which explains the huge budget. You can go ahead and cringe now, just to get it out of the way.

It was going to be a Tonto show mainly. Tonto as the top dog and more dominant than the Lone Ranger. Tonto and the Indian spirits like Obi Wan Kenobi and the force. The driving engine was going to be Native American occult aspects worked in with werewolves and special effects, [b]ut flavored with doses of Native American spirituality in a serious way.

Also, the recent flop Cowboys and Aliens soured the studio on the mashup of werewolves and cowboys and Indians. Possibly they were turned off of the idea of a mashup, and possibly they just realized that sometimes audiences don’t like really dumb movies.

So now we have to wait for Disney to replace all the werewolves with sexy vampires, and we’ll be good to go.

Though it probably has little to do with the shutdown, an announcement was made earlier this week that Brad Pitt‘s World War Z was going head to head with the Disney project, also picking a release date of December 21, 2012.

The project, though initially met with eye-rolling over another adaptation, seemed to be pulling in some quality actors in the way of Dwight Yoakam, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Barry Pepper. Shifting popular sentiment to “cautiously optimistic,” which on the internet, is equivalent to walking on water.

While the budget trimming makes sound financial sense, I can’t imagine a world in which a Johnny Depp Disney film fails to be profitable. Maybe they just don’t trust that Armie Hamer kid. Did you know there weren’t even two of him in The Social Network? He deceived us.

There’s also a rumor that the cast and clips from The Lone Ranger could be appearing, but if you breathe that rumor in anything more than a whisper, it will likely vanish forever.

As if that wasn’t enough, we’re also getting Disney’s current stars, including, but not limited to, Jack McBreyer, Sarah Silverman, Jennifer Garner, Jason Segel, Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, and some dude named Kermit.

There will also be a panel and profile of the Pixar creative team, and, if you want to dork out REALLY hard, one featuring many of the Disney execs. YES! The convention floor will be riddled with props from the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, though no explanation will be given as to how it made so much goddamn money.

See ya in Anaheim!

Not.

Dale would play the Lone Ranger‘s older brother, Dan Reid and leader of the Texas Rangers, while Pepper would play Captain J. Fuller, the leader of the 7th Cavalry, because the law requires Pepper to play an Army guy whenever the opportunity is there.

In a refreshing change, Helena Bonham Carter, who is not as far along in talks as the other entrants, would play the proprietor of a local brothel, or “female pimp” as I would like to regard her. Variety describes her character as “colorful,” because pimps are colorful.

These all sound like pretty solid additions to for film that has been criticized by many (myself included) as a gratuitous remake from the Disney machine. What can I say? Dwight Yoakam knows how to bring the gravitas.

James McAvoy is close to teaming up with fellow Brit Danny Boyle for Trance, a heist thriller that would see him playing a character named Simon who is stuck in the middle of a botched bank job. Michael Fassbender was first attached to this project, but apparently he put it aside when he decided to do every other movie in Hollywood. (Variety)

Robin Williams is also circling Gently Down the Stream, a rom-com that would feature Robert DeNiro and Diane Keaton as a divorced couple that pretends to be married for the sake of their kids. Robin Williams will play an obnoxious priest, just like he did in License to Wed. Old Robert De Niro never would have put up with Williams’ B.S., but times hav echanged. The film will also star Susan Sarandon, Topher Grace, Amanda Seyfried, and Katherine “Buzzkill” Heigl. (Showbiz 411)

Finally, Tom Wilkinson will be gracing The Lone Ranger with his presence as a railroad tycoon, which one can safely read as “bad guy. I am now openly rooting for Wilkinson to prevail over both Armie Hamer’s Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp’s Tonto. I’m tired of seeing Johnny Depp prevail, and Armie Hamer will always be a snooty Winklevoss in my eyes. I hope whatever damsel Wilkinson ties to the train tracks gets run the hell over. (Variety)

Disney will release The Lone Ranger on December 21, 2012. Now you know what to see on Christmas day before you gorge on Chinese food. Hi ho, Silver! and all that jazz. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski, stars Armie Hammer as the titular Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp as his trusty sidekick, Tonto. I’m personally excited to see what new funny voice Depp will come up with this time. Or his take on the cliché Native American speech pattern.

Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi and Judd Apatow’s next film also release on December 21, 2012. That is until they realize they’re opening against a Johnny Depp film.

Hammer will ride for director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer in Disney’s big screen revival of the classic Western series. He’s also got a supporting role in the upcoming J. Edgar Hoover biopic and he’ll play the prince in Th Brothers Grimm: Snow White, just one in an infinite number of Snow White projects in the works. However, this looking-to-start-a-franchise movie could be the spurs to the sides of the horse that is Hammer’s career. The horse is named “Ol’ Careery.”

No official release date yet for Disney’s Lone Ranger, but it could ride into theaters as early as fall 2012. (Variety)

“[A]n air traffic controller whose life unravels after he’s nearly responsible for a collision between passenger planes caused by a mysterious blinding flash at 2:22 p.m. The event leads him to meet a woman whose life seems to have been intertwined with his long ago.”

Given current trends in Hollywood, they might change the woman into Osama bin Laden. They have until the fall to decide, when the movie starts shooting – around the same time as The Lone Ranger, in fact – which is why Hammer probably can’t do both. Unless he brings in his twin to help him out again like he did on The Social Network. Is Armie Hammer‘s twin still acting? (Variety)

Though Ryan Gosling had been in talks to play the character, it was unlikely to fit in his schedule, as he had his plate full with Logan’s Run, which is expected to be a multi-picture franchise, as is The Lone Ranger, presumably. However, Mr. Hammer, having just recently enjoyed notoriety from his turn in The Social Network, has a little more flexibility, so it’s possible he will get the privilege of talking down to his Native American sidekick in this project.

The Lone Ranger reunites Depp, director Gore Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, so expect the vets to haze the hell out of the new guy by making him French kiss his horse or slow-dance with a cactus. (Deadline)

With Depp playing Tonto, the stoic Native American sidekick, one would presume that Gosling would be in talks to play the titular hero. But The Wrap warns that he is already committed to Logan’s Run which should take a fair amount of his time, as well as steal the thunder from any other franchise roles he may have kicking about. (Like this one. If you don’t think Disney will run The Lone Ranger franchise into the ground with sequel after sequel, then you, my friend, aren’t familiar with Pirates of the Caribbean. The film, not the actual pirates.)

The Lone Ranger is scheduled to hit theaters in 2014, so if the Mayans are right, we’ll all be dead in 2012, so this whole article, as well as many others on this site, is completely moot.

Batman has Robin. Siegfried has Roy. And the Lone Ranger has Tonto. So with Johnny Depp already cast as Tonto in Gore Verbinksi’s Lone Ranger, who does the actor feel would best complete the pair?

“There’s so many interesting possibilities out there. Brad [Pitt] would be great. [George] Clooney would be great. Don’t know who it’s going to be just yet.”

While they’re both talented, they’re also the two most popular actors in the world, so I’m not sure why Depp thinks they are “interesting possibilities.” Crispin Glover is an interesting possibility. Kenny Baker is an interesting possibility. Clooney and Pitt are pod people. (Collider)