Back in 2011, Johnny Depp was a big deal following his hit Disney franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, not just that, the actor had secured a phenomenal position in the entertainment industry with his prolific acting skills, and back-to-back hit movies. Yet, despite his success, there was one movie that Disney was hesitant to make.
Following Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski’s collaboration in the Pirates franchise, Disney was willing to see the duo work together once more. That’s when in 2011, the director came up with his highly anticipated project The Lone Ranger. However, despite everything being set for production, Disney considered pulling the plug, due to one specific reason.
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Johnny Depp’s 2011 Disney Project Exceeded Budget
Following his collaboration with Disney and Gore Verbinski for Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp was sought to make another project with them. Well, it’s none other than the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. Apparently, the movie was initially supposed to be released in 2012 to smack up against The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
However, according to Deadline reports, the film faced issues with funding and budget that ended up delaying the release. Although Johnny Depp was highly excited to work on the film with Gore Verbinski, he faced a production stoppage when the movie started costing too much and the studio gave major pushback.
Disney was concerned about spending over $200M on a Western, even with Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp’s collaboration. Looking for a much lower budget, the Studio took drastic action that forced the filmmaker to figure out the next step. Verbinski had two options, either to shop his movie elsewhere, or put it back together with a lower budget, for a delayed release.
Disney Considered Pulling the Plug on The Lone Ranger
Despite the stunning development, The Lone Ranger production was shut down as Disney witnessed a surge in budget. Although the script was ready and actors were cast, Disney pulled the plug because of the budget. Filmmakers were therefore desperate to reduce the film’s cost from $250M down to $232M. But the studio wasn’t even willing to pay $200M for a Western film.
When Disney pulled the plug in 2011, the film was still casting up. Slated to release in 2012, Johnny Depp‘s The Lone Ranger was supposed to compete with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Brad Pitt-starrer World War Z. But unfortunately, the film got delayed due to Disney’s adamant decision not to spend more than $200M.
Unwilling to let go of Disney, Gore Verbinski, and Johnny Depp eventually considered lowering the budget. But unfortunately, they couldn’t make it less than $215M. Eventually, Disney agreed as they counted on Depp to make the film relevant with a comedic twist. Thereafter production began and finally the movie made it to the theatres in 2013.
Nonetheless, sadly enough, Disney’s fear came true when despite entrusting their faith in Johnny Depp, The Lone Ranger struggled at the box office earning $260M worldwide against its $215M budget.
