After weeks of speculating whether or not the project would proceed, Disney has set an official release date for the upcoming film The Lone Ranger. The film will make its debut in theaters on May 13, 2013.
The Gore Verbinski-directed film, which will star Johnny Depp as Tonto, was initially slated to be released next fall; however, production on the film was shut down when Disney feared the project’s budget was out-of-hand. Since then, Depp, Verbinski, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have reached an agreement with Disney, bringing their original budget of $250 million down to $215 million. This was done in part by the trio reducing their fees, as well as sacrificing their back-end participation if the films goes over budget.
In a statement, Walt Disney Studios said about the project:
“Johnny Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski are such a talented combination and we’re thrilled to get back to work with them on The Lone Ranger, an original and exciting new Disney adventure.”
Disney also released new release dates for some of their other films, which were affected by The Lone Ranger‘s shift in schedule. The release date for Thor 2 has been moved to Nov. 15, 2013 from July 26, 2013, and Phineas and Ferb will make its theatrical debut on July 26, 2013.
