Why couldn't they get Graham Greene to play Tonto?

From Dark Horizons:

Almost a year ago Disney shut down pre-production on "The Lone Ranger" until those involved could reign in the budget from $250 million to a more economical $215 million. As a result the key players involved cut action sequences and their own upfront fees, but it did get the production going again and filming began late February in New Mexico.

Now, Heat Vision reports that according to insiders, the film is running days or possibly weeks behind its 120-day shooting schedule. In fact, the budget is already said to be back to its original $250 million tally and may have surpassed it.

Verbinski is again being asked to cut scenes and rewrites are underway. The fault of the cost blowouts is said to be due to both severe weather disruptions causing set damage, and construction of period trains for the film rather than hiring or purchasing of existing railroad vehicles.

Filming is not expected to be finished until August, but that still gives the project plenty of time to reach its July 3rd 2013 release date.

^ This is sounding eerily like what happened to Waterworld.

But that movie turned a profit in the end.
Except for the giant fish attack the money was not on the screen.

How do you spend $250 million on a western?
Heavens Gate was a western and that bombed but I don't know if it was cause of the budget.

There are so many running steam trains I can't believe they had to build them for the film if they are that expensive. Poor scouting.

he probably saw a rough cut of the film and pulled a Tony Scott.

We have a teaser:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LoVhgaj6PiE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Looks not bad at all. Although I hope Johnny Depp's top billing is just contractual in nature. I don't want to see Tonto: The Movie.

"This video has been removed by the user"

I replaced the video with another one.

Probably realized how offensive it is for a white guy to play an Indian and decided he didn't want to be associated with the movie.

don't have audio here but...visually I don't mind anything that trailer except for Depp being under that train...weird face he had there.

Thanks for the report. Looks like Helena Bonham-Carter plays some sort of "quirky" character. Interesting choice.

^ It's nice to see Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp finally working together.

And why the fuck does the Lone Ranger have a sidekick anyway?!

Well it's about damn time!

Well it seems the Lone Ranger is the sidekick this time around. Apparently, Gore Verbinski has gone on record that Tonto is being written like Jack Sparrow and the Lone Ranger is the Will Turner of the movie.

And he's the Lone Ranger because Tonto is his blood brother rather than a sidekick.

I don't know anything about the old show. But this looks like fun. That's all you can really hope out of a movie like this. Not going in for a life changing experience.

Sweet a new Wild Wild West movie.

That was the best shot in the trailer.

Try not to set your expectations too high.

If the Lone Ranger movie doesn't change my life, I'm demanding my money back.

"Who was that masked man?"

"I don't know, but he sure changed my life!"

I'm looking forward to the Asylum version of this -- The Loan Arranger.

I am really getting tired of all these slo-mo shots in action movies.

My only worry here is Verbinski's comments equating Tonto to Jack Sparrow. Fortunately, I don't get that vibe from the teaser. I get a sense that he'll be a badass mentor rather than sidekick. That I can get behind. What I don't want is Tonto being goofy and the Lone Ranger diminished just to placate Pirates fans.

I agree.

Sadly, the best shot in that trailer was the altered Jerry Bruckheimer opening to include a railroad track.