THE LONE RANGER - NEWS

Disney Feature Spends 3 Weeks - $7M in Creede, CO

July 9, 2012 - Disney's newest production of 'The Lone Ranger', starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Lone Ranger, has finished up a 3 week stretch of filming near the small town of Creede, Colorado. The film has generated plenty of buzz in Colorado and has reportedly spent 7 million dollars near Creede after 11 weeks of set construction and 3 weeks of filming. Security was boosted, discouraging curiosity seekers around the canyons surrounding Creede. There were intermittent road closures throughout the week lasting about 20 minutes outside of town on Highway 149.

The blockbuster movie is being produced by heavy hitting producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbiniski (Pirates of the Carribbean). The film, which began production on February 28th in New Mexico with an estimated crew of 400, was originally scheduled to be shot in 120 days. The production has fallen behind schedule, and sources now estimate that the film will cost an upwards of 250 million to complete rather than the initial budget of 210 million.

There have been several factors that have put 'The Lone Ranger' behind schedule and budget. Severe wind and weather has caused some damage to parts of their elaborate sets. Another reason for the setback is the director's insistence that certain elements be accurately portrayed for the time period of the film. One instance is Verbinski wanting the locomotives to be constructed from the ground up rather than remodeling existing trains.

Despite budget setbacks and other hurdles, Verbinski's version of 'The Lone Ranger' is expected to revitalize the American western genre across the globe. Another star who is jumping on board is Jack White of The White Stripes, who plans to compose the musical score for the movie. With a star filled cast and crew, paired along with some beautiful locations, 'The Lone Ranger' is sure to draw herds to the theaters on opening day - July 3rd, 2013.

We had to dig deep, but we finally found some photos from the set of the movie! Here are a few production stills from 'The Lone Ranger' set in New Mexico that have been revealed.

$7M for colorado | going over budget | Lone Ranger set photos