Johnny Depp Tells Disney, "Not Without My Gore!"

Gore Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer have made their concessions and presented the tightened budget for The Lone Ranger to Disney, weeks after the studio castrated the production months before its fall 2011 start-date. The Mouse fearful of the reported $275-$300 million price-tag wouldn't be recouped in the wake of Cowboys & Aliens as commercial turd and the international markets, where Johnny Depp (playing Tonto, reportedly the lead instead of what's traditionally the sidekick role a la Big Trouble in Little China and The Green Hornet and Armie Hammer as the title character) is still a box-office god and where the majority of the gross will come from, being tepid towards westerns.

One of the hypothetical solutions was firing Verbinski and replacing him with a Yes-Man helmer who would do what his master(s) told him.

The problem in that equation, according to Mike Fleming at "TOLDJA," is Depp has made it clear to Disney. Fire Gore Verbinski and you'll have to look for a new Tonto. In an environment where loyalty means dick as long as you can get ahead, this is refreshing to read.

That doesn't mean I'm going to 180 on my anti-The Lone Ranger (well, this version) stance. But good on Depp for sticking with his pal. Still seems like a lost cause, if you ask me. This is an issue which would have been addressed a long time ago privately (Depp's been attached to this since 2008) and to bring it up this late into the game says to me no matter what is presented the big-wigs at Disney had long already made up their minds on killing The Lone Ranger. Then again, how many other actors can claim three $1 billion earning hits?