If Jonah Hex and Cowboys & Aliens have told us anything (and especially Hollywood), sometimes it’s best to stick with tradition. There was a reason why last year’s True Grit was so successful. It didn’t muck up the formula by adding aliens or supernatural beings.
So what about Disney’s big-screen adaptation of a TV series that most people could care less about. It’s idea to interest viewers…add werewolves!
The team behind the successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and star Johnny Depp) ran afoul with studio Disney over its planned budget of The Lone Ranger. Originally announced in the $250-$275 million range, Disney pumped the breaks, stalling the start of production until a new budget could be agreed upon.
We reported back in September that The Lone Ranger was still on tap for an early 2012 re-start in production. Latest news from Deadline notes the three principal players mentioned above have made concessions in their deals and tweaked the script to bring the budget down to $215 million, which is still a King’s Ransom when talking about a western.
The delay in production makes it unlikely that post-production will be finished in time for its December 21, 2012 release. And that may be for the best as it would open against Judd Apatow’s new comedy, and book to screen adaptations of Life of Pi (dir. Ang Lee) and World War Z (starring Brad Pitt).
