Johnny Depp’s Tonto and Kirby Sattler

If you think Johnny Depp’s Tonto is over-the-top and is more suited to the next Pirates Of the Caribbean movie think again. Artist Kirby Sattler specializes in Native American art. Check out his painting against Depp’s Tonto. The designer Penny Rose may owe a debt to Sattler and his particulary vision of the Crow Indian. Or maybe they both accessed the same source material from their research. It certainly isn’t the Tonto we’ve all come to know from the Jay Silverheels version back in the 1950s.

You can view Kirby Sattler’s Native American portfolio at : Kirby Sattler

The Lone Ranger Resumes Production

Disney’s The Lone Ranger is back in production following cuts to the original extravagent $275 million budget. The press release gives a hint of the revised storyline. It does appear that Tonto takes center stage and the “spirit warrior” reference hints at Weird Western elements remaining in the script.

“The Lone Ranger” is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.”

Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski is reunited with Johnny Depp as Tonto and “Pirate” writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Armie Hammer who plays The Lone Ranger is joined by William Fichtner (replacing Dwight Yoakam), Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter. Location and interior filming takes place in New Mexico followed by location shooting Arizona, Utah and Colorado. A release date is scheduled for May 31, 2013.

The Lone Ranger and Cowboys & Aliens

Image via Wikipedia

It appears the knock-on effect of the relatively weak performance of Cowboys & Aliens is resulting in a Hollywood withdrawal from the Weird West genre. The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer has been shelved by Disney due to a spiralling budget. It was to feature werewolves in a Weird West twist.

“It was going to be a Tonto show mainly… The driving engine was going to be Native American occult aspects worked in with werewolves and special effects. But flavored with doses of Native American spirituality in a serious way.

“But then Cowboys & Aliens came along and tanked and Disney got cold tenderfeet, spooked by the idea of a pricey mashup. If Cowboys & Aliens had made $200 million, this wouldn’t be happening. A Bruckheimer-style western in the wake of Cowboys & Aliens is nothing anyone is feeling secure about at this stage. Trust me, the writers of tentpole garbage are all scared now,” states a source on the Hollywood Elsewhere website.