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'The Lone Ranger' Having Budget Problems Again, Planning Rewrites

by Ethan Anderton
June 13, 2012
Source: Heat Vision

Later in the summer of 2011, there were already budget problems plaguing Disney's adaptation of the classic hero The Lone Ranger, and the issues were so problematic that production was halted indefinitely. But towards the end of the year, some budget cuts were made and director Gore Verbinski and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer were ready to go and a July 3rd, 2013 release date was set. Well, now more troubles have come along for the production as Heat Vision sadly reports the film is over budget again, surpassing even the original budget estimates that had to be cut, and rewrites are being ordered as well.

Word is that the cost of The Lone Ranger is back up to $250 million, but some sources say that it has actually surpassed that number. In addition, the production is said to be days, maybe even weeks, behind its original schedule. This means more scenes are being cut (and that comes after a big train action sequence was axed the first time around), and some rewrites have been ordered to help lasso the production back to being manageable again. How much can you cut and rewrite while in production before you don't even know what movie you're making anymore? This does not bode well for Disney, and I'm sure the set release date doesn't help since production has to rush to meet deadlines unless the release is pushed back again.

However, Verbinski has been known for blowing his budget out of control though, so this isn't much of a surprise. And apparently, the delays and such aren't entirely his fault. There's been some inclement weather, including wind and dust storms, that are wreaking havoc on the set in New Mexico. However, despite these problems, apparently many are still optimistic for the release with some saying that this could continue to reinvigorate the Western as Verbinski plays with the genre in the same way he made pirate movies exciting again. Plus, one source who spoke to THR says, "It's out of control, but if you were going to bet on anyone, it would be on Gore, Johnny and Jerry." I suppose that's a good attitude to have, but these kind of problems during production don't instill a lot of faith. Hopefully, they get back on track and make a good flick.

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