The Social Network’s Armie Hammer to Play THE LONE RANGER Opposite Johnny Depp’s Tonto
It looks like director Gore Verbinski has finally found the LONE RANGER to ride alongside Johnny Depp’s Tonto. The LA Times reports Armie Hammer, who played the oh-so bitter Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, will don the mask in the Jerry Brickheimer-produced film.
While casting a Lone Ranger who is much less famous than Tonto might sound counter-intuitive, for this film, it makes sense. Verbinski has long insisted he doesn’t want to do a straight-up adaptation of the classic story and will instead focus more on Tonto. He said,
“The only version of The Lone Ranger I’m interested in doing is ‘Don Quixote’ told from Sancho Panza’s point of view. And hence I was honest early on with Johnny that Tonto is the part. We’re not going to do it [straight]. Everyone knows that story. I don’t want to tell that story.”
Before his breakthrough role in The Social Network, Hammer was best known for his recurring role as Morgan on the CW’s supernatural comedy-drama Reaper. He will next be seen in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar as FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson, who was rumored to have been J. Edgar Hoover’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) lover.
What do you think of this casting and of focusing The Lone Ranger on Tonto?
