Hammer Eats Leather As "The Lone Ranger"

Actor Armie Hammer ("The Social Network") will play "The Lone Ranger" in Disney's upcoming adaptation of the Old West radio show/TV/comic book character, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End").

Co-starring actor Johnny Depp as native side-kick 'Tonto', the film will be based on a screenplay by Justin Haythe ("Revolutionary Road").

For "The Lone Ranger", Bruckheimer intends to "return to those thrilling days of yesteryear", by exploiting the 'western' movie genre, similar to how mid-seventeenth century buccaneers were depicted in the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" franchise.

Premise of the "The Lone Ranger", will set up the origins of the American Old West character, with Tonto nursing an ambushed Texas Ranger back to health, followed by the two becoming blood brothers and inseparable partners.

"The Lone Ranger", was originally a radio, then TV series, created by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker, featuring a masked Texas Ranger, his horse 'Silver' and 'Indian' companion 'Tonto'.

Episodes usually ended with a character lamenting the fact they never found out the hero's name ("Who was that masked man?"), only to be told, "Why, that was the Lone Ranger!" Theme music used was the "cavalry charge" finale of composer Gioacchino Rossini's "William Tell Overture". Inspiration for the name of the 'Lone Ranger' was derived from "The Lone Star Ranger", a novel by western author Zane Grey.

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