Original Cast Members Locked In For Lone Ranger, Other Actors Also Wanted

Deadline reports that Disney has locked in Armie Hammer (Social Network), Johnny Depp (as Tonto) and Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre, Prisoner, Luther) for the leads in Gore Verbinski's (Pirates 1-3) Lone Ranger. It had been unknown even with Disney agreeing to a lowered budget that the cast would still be able to commit to the movie. The studio is interested in casting Tom Wilkinson as the film's villain. Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale (Departed, The Pacific) and Dwight Yoakum (Crank 1-2) are also wanted for roles.

I'm all for more Disney films from Gore Verbinski but the western genre hasn't been in the best shape lately. Here's hoping that Gore can do for the western he did for the pirate genre. That being said I'm curious to see how much damage Mirror Mirror is going to do to Armie's creditability as a lead actor. As the goofy family film could make audiences cringe when trying to picture him as the masked avenging cowboy.

David Yates Looking To Make Doctor Who Film

ShowBlitz reports that Harry Potter director David Yates is looking to make a new Doctor Who film. Yates is best known as the director of the latter Potter films which include Order of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hollows 1-2. It's not ready to go just yet as Yates is currently looking at writers and believes the project is two years away from release. The film would be a fresh take and won't be influenced by the television series. This means previous actors are out of the running to play the lead. Yates has been choosing his next film carefully after Potter while he had been linked for some big studios he has yet to announce what is next.


While this is likely a year or so away from casting I think Tom Hiddleston (War Horse, Thor, Avengers) would make an excellent Doctor. Mainly because he's a talented actor with a great sense of drama and humor along with deserving a heroic/iconic role like this. I'm sure he'll end up with many human companions in the film. I would hope that the feisty Ruth Wilson (The Lone Ranger) who has been stealing scenes in BBC's Luther could have a role as well.

Lone Ranger Still Happening, Ruth Wilson Joins

It looks Disney isn't done with Gore Verbinski's (Pirates 1-3) The Lone Ranger just yet. It was reported Disney was unhappy with the projected budget of the film which was expected to cost $250 million. Deadline reports that the studio is still trying to work out a deal to get the film made with a lower budget of around $200 million. The western has Armie Hammer (Social Network, J. Edgar) and Johnny Depp in the leads. Another bit of news is that Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Prisoner) had landed the female lead in the film. It's expected the cast will all return for the production but the December 21st 2012 release date is now in question.