The Lone Ranger... Uh... Re-Begins!

[Pacino86845]

Well I think anyone could've told them that treating Lone Ranger as a "pure" Pirates sequel was a dangerous assumption to have made...

Honestly, they couldn't have scaled this down to $150 million even? That still would've been a HUUUUUUGE budget for a cowboy movie.

[travis-dane]

So, I've seen it, it's not as bad as everybody says it is. Since I have no real knowledge of the Lone Ranger mythos, the changes did not bother me that much.
As for the Budget, you see it on the screen, this is a huge production and the FX work is outstanding, I dont think they spend too much on the movie, since you see every penny on the screen and the final twenty minutes are pure joy.
But the story is not very good and the Ranger is not really a hero until the final act kicks in.

William Fichtner steals the movie.

[BuckyO'harre]

Oh good, I'm not the only one. I reckon it didn't seem so bad simply because it wasn't the total clusterfuck I was expecting after the reviews.
Sure, many of the criticisms are valid, but they don't detract to the degree that's been stated. That's hardly an endorsement though. I'll simply say the trailers are a fairly accurate representation of what you get. If they haven't appealed to you, then don't bother watching.

It seems to me that there's a lot of "critiquing for the greater good" going on this year. Consciously or not, many people are spitting venom at this mainly because of it's production, and then walking on eggshells where Pacific Rim is concerned. Now I think we can all agree that we'd rather have more original properties like PR, and fewer bloated franchise starters. However, at the end of the day each movie should be judged individually on it's own merits.

Oh, and one more thing that's pissed me off due to the endless negative attention it's receiving: the heart removal/ PG-13 fiasco. This isn't Temple of Doom. Not even close. You see a knife placed underneath a man's diaphragm then the camera cuts to a reflection in Armie Hammer's eye. It's almost completely obscured. "But *GASP* Fichtner has some blood on his hand and chin! Saints preserve us!" Fuuuck youuu. If you take a preteen or younger child to a PG-13 movie... YOU DON'T GET TO BE UPSET! Disney or not, they have to go through the same process everyone else does. Just because most of the movies you want to see are rated PG-13 or R doesn't mean the films should be watered down so you can drag your wee ones along. The ratings system is certainly screwed up at times, but where young children are concerned, it works pretty well.

[Spandau Belly]

Honestly, they couldn't have scaled this down to $150 million even? That still would've been a HUUUUUUGE budget for a cowboy movie.

Even if Disney wasn't actively courting association with the POTC series, it was inevitable with this film. So people going to see this film will be expecting the same level of stunts, effects, and production design they would get in a POTC film. Delivering less would disappoint the core audience.

I think with this project they did in fact have to go big or go home.

[Ribbons]

Oh good, I'm not the only one. I reckon it didn't seem so bad simply because it wasn't the total clusterfuck I was expecting after the reviews.
Sure, many of the criticisms are valid, but they don't detract to the degree that's been stated. That's hardly an endorsement though. I'll simply say the trailers are a fairly accurate representation of what you get. If they haven't appealed to you, then don't bother watching.

It seems to me that there's a lot of "critiquing for the greater good" going on this year. Consciously or not, many people are spitting venom at this mainly because of it's production, and then walking on eggshells where Pacific Rim is concerned. Now I think we can all agree that we'd rather have more original properties like PR, and fewer bloated franchise starters. However, at the end of the day each movie should be judged individually on it's own merits.

It's a chicken-or-egg thing. Are the reviews bad because they heard of the troubled production, or was the troubled production what led to a movie that gets bad reviews? The world may never know, but it definitely seems to me like there's a certain level of schadenfreude involved.

[BuckyO'harre]

Oh good, I'm not the only one. I reckon it didn't seem so bad simply because it wasn't the total clusterfuck I was expecting after the reviews.
Sure, many of the criticisms are valid, but they don't detract to the degree that's been stated. That's hardly an endorsement though. I'll simply say the trailers are a fairly accurate representation of what you get. If they haven't appealed to you, then don't bother watching.

It seems to me that there's a lot of "critiquing for the greater good" going on this year. Consciously or not, many people are spitting venom at this mainly because of it's production, and then walking on eggshells where Pacific Rim is concerned. Now I think we can all agree that we'd rather have more original properties like PR, and fewer bloated franchise starters. However, at the end of the day each movie should be judged individually on it's own merits.

It's a chicken-or-egg thing. Are the reviews bad because they heard of the troubled production, or was the troubled production what led to a movie that gets bad reviews? The world may never know, but it definitely seems to me like there's a certain level of schadenfreude involved.

My main issue is that many of the "reviews" are half soapboxing about the state of the industry. It's fine if you want to use the film as a starting point for a discussion on the flaws of the studio mindset, but make it a seperate article.

[TheBaxter]

Honestly, they couldn't have scaled this down to $150 million even? That still would've been a HUUUUUUGE budget for a cowboy movie.

Even if Disney wasn't actively courting association with the POTC series, it was inevitable with this film. So people going to see this film will be expecting the same level of stunts, effects, and production design they would get in a POTC film. Delivering less would disappoint the core audience.

I think with this project they did in fact have to go big or go home.

it's only inevitable because of Depp. once he got involved, then they did indeed have to "go big", since getting Depp in the first place is the definition of going big (just like Pitt getting involved in WWZ meant going big). without Depp, no one would have associated this film with the POTC films at all, even with Verbinski directing. they could have kept this project at a more reasonable level, but only by not casting Depp in it.

[TheBaxter]

Oh, and one more thing that's pissed me off due to the endless negative attention it's receiving: the heart removal/ PG-13 fiasco. This isn't Temple of Doom. Not even close. You see a knife placed underneath a man's diaphragm then the camera cuts to a reflection in Armie Hammer's eye. It's...

Venom???

[BuckyO'harre]

Never gets old.

[TheButcher]

THR:
Jerry Bruckheimer's Disney Future in Question As Moguls Defend His 'Lone Ranger'
The producer's rich "Pirates 5" deal will almost certainly be renegotiated while Les Moonves, Ron Meyer and Jeffrey Katzenberg praise the "Rock of Gibraltar of Hollywood" after a pricey flop.

Amid continuing reverberations from the mega-failure of The Lone Ranger, it appears clear that the movie has damaged producer Jerry Bruckheimer's long and often highly successful relationship with Disney and will lead at minimum to a renegotiation of his rich deal for a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean, if not his eventual exit from the studio.

Disney film studio chief Alan Horn, who joined the studio when the film was already underway, is known for his distaste for graphic violence and potentially offensive language -- an inclination perfectly suited to Disney’s culture. Anticipating that the studio would seek cuts, an insider says Verbinski put some dark and violent material in the film -- such as a scene depicting a character eating a human heart -- fully expecting to cut them back to placate executives. Though the heart-devouring scene was trimmed, Disney pushed further.

The studio had contractual power to effect some changes through language in the filmmaker’s contract giving the studio the right to eliminate material inconsistent with the company’s image. As the film moved closer to release, however, Verbinski is said to have threatened to walk off the project if additional changes were made.

Nonetheless, a source involved in the project says Verbinski was more collaborative than usual. From the start, this person says, the director assured the studio that he wanted to control the budget to rebut his reputation for spending. But with challenges such as poor weather -- as well as Verbinski’s insistence on realizing his vision -- he obviously failed.

In the aftermath, Verbinski seems likely to suffer the most fallout of all the key players. But still, it appears that Bruckheimer faces a budget renegotiation on the planned Pirates of the Caribbean 5. There is still no approved script for the film, tentatively set for 2015, though Depp and Bruckheimer are set to return for directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg.

Bruckheimer’s deal at Disney expires in spring 2014. It seems probable that the producer will test the waters at other studios, especially with Disney’s pipeline packed with tentpole movies from Marvel, Lucasfilm and other suppliers. Meanwhile, Bruckheimer is working on Pirates and a found-footage genre film, Beware the Night, for Screen Gems; the latter film is set for release in January 2015. Another potential project is a second Bad Boys sequel at Sony Pictures. Bruckheimer also has a reality series, Marshall Law, in production for TNT.

In an interview with THR just before Lone Ranger opened, Horn declined to comment on Bruckheimer's future at the studio, adding, “He’s a very talented fellow, but every picture needs to justify its green light in this marketplace on its merits. We’ll pick 'em one at a time."

[Spandau Belly]

Good, get Jerry out of the kids movie business and back into making OLEG movies. And tell him to bring Verbinski with him. I actually think Verbinski would be an awesome choice as director for a CON AIR type movie.

[SooperPooperScooper]

Sounds shit to me.

[TheButcher]

Jerry Bruckheimer Believes History Will Look Kindly on The Lone Ranger

[TheButcher]

THR:
'Lone Ranger' Stars Say Critics Bashed Movie Before They Saw It (Video)
Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer claim U.S. reviewers based their assessment of the poorly received film on its backstory and massive budget.

THR:
Walt Disney Co. Studio Down on Marketing Costs For 'The Lone Ranger'
UPDATED: The media conglomerate will suffer up to a $190 million loss on the Johnny Depp film in the fiscal fourth quarter.

[TheBaxter]

THR:
'Lone Ranger' Stars Say Critics Bashed Movie Before They Saw It (Video)
Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer claim U.S. reviewers based their assessment of the poorly received film on its backstory and massive budget.

THR:
Walt Disney Co. Studio Down on Marketing Costs For 'The Lone Ranger'
UPDATED: The media conglomerate will suffer up to a $190 million loss on the Johnny Depp film in the fiscal fourth quarter.

ah yes, blame the critics for the failure of your movie... even though most of the public barely pays attention to critics when deciding whether to see a movie or not. critics WISH they were that influential.

[so sorry]

THR:
'Lone Ranger' Stars Say Critics Bashed Movie Before They Saw It (Video)
Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer claim U.S. reviewers based their assessment of the poorly received film on its backstory and massive budget.

THR:
Walt Disney Co. Studio Down on Marketing Costs For 'The Lone Ranger'
UPDATED: The media conglomerate will suffer up to a $190 million loss on the Johnny Depp film in the fiscal fourth quarter.

ah yes, blame the critics for the failure of your movie... even though most of the public barely pays attention to critics when deciding whether to see a movie or not. critics WISH they were that influential.

I'm sure there is an interview out there with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty having said the same thing about Ishtar.

[TheBaxter]

THR:
'Lone Ranger' Stars Say Critics Bashed Movie Before They Saw It (Video)
Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer claim U.S. reviewers based their assessment of the poorly received film on its backstory and massive budget.

THR:
Walt Disney Co. Studio Down on Marketing Costs For 'The Lone Ranger'
UPDATED: The media conglomerate will suffer up to a $190 million loss on the Johnny Depp film in the fiscal fourth quarter.

ah yes, blame the critics for the failure of your movie... even though most of the public barely pays attention to critics when deciding whether to see a movie or not. critics WISH they were that influential.

I'm sure there is an interview out there with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty having said the same thing about Ishtar.

and one with James Cameron saying the same thing about Titani-- oh, wait.

[RogueScribner]

Critcs slam popular movies all the time. Critics love movies that no one ever sees. Critics can have some influence, IMO, with people on the fence about a movie. But if someone really wanted to see TLR they would have seen it. If word of mouth was good on TLR, critcs be damned, people would go to the movie. I've been disinterested in this project from the beginning and nothing Disney ever put out in their marketing nor any reviews/word of mouth after the fact did anything to change my mind. The movie is a dud. John Carter got a better reception (though lost more money).

[TheBaxter]

i heard Lone Ranger actually had pretty good word of mouth (or at least decent exit ratings which is supposed to translate to good word of mouth or so we're told) among the lonely few who saw it. the bigger problem was getting people to see it in the first place. an old character with apparently little modern appeal, a poor marketing campaign that focused on the secondary character played by the big star and virtually ignored the titular character played by a less-than-household name, the miscasting of those roles in the first place, and the subsequent perception, deserved or not, but well-earned by that point that the film was an unfocused mess, surprisingly did little to get people interested enough to lay down $12 or whatever tickets cost these days to see it. that probably had more to do with its demise than anything any critics wrote about it and was more than a trickle of good word of mouth could overcome.

[Pacino86845]

Plus Johnny Depp never watches the films he stars in, so what does he know about The Lone Ranger being good or not?

[so sorry]

Plus Johnny Depp never watches the films he stars in, so what does he know about The Lone Ranger being good or not?

I had no idea I had so much in common with him!

[RogueScribner]

i heard Lone Ranger actually had pretty good word of mouth (or at least decent exit ratings which is supposed to translate to good word of mouth or so we're told) among the lonely few who saw it.

I don't know anyone personally who saw it, but the reaction I've seen various places on the interwebs have been decidedly mixed. Some loved it, some hated it, and some were left thinking what the hell became of Johnny Depp. It just doesn't add up to much appeal in the end.

[TheBaxter]

in CinemaScore exit polls, it received a B+.

then again, the lowest score on their Recent Releases list is a C+ for RIPD, and even crap like After Earth and Grown Ups 2 received B's, so i guess those scores aren't really worth much.

[RogueScribner]

John Carter received a B+ and no one bothered much with that movie. I watched it and wasn't all that impressed, so I'm definitely not going to bother with TLR.

[TheButcher]

Let Mark Wahlberg Explain Why The Lone Ranger Bombed So Hard

Earlier in the week we showed a video of Johnny Depp and the rest of The Lone Ranger team blaming the press for the failure of their movie. Well, Mark Wahlberg somewhat agrees with them, telling the Los Angeles Times, “There’s intense scrutiny on [all movies], way more than before.” However, he also has a bigger explanation for TLR's failings: That a western doesn't need to be so damn expensive. "They’re spending $250 million for two dudes on a horse?" Adding, "Where’s the money going?"

He understands that much of this is the studios' fault. “They are spending so much money to pull the wool over the audience’s eyes with these effects-driven movies,” he said. “It’s not like Jurassic Park, where you saw something groundbreaking and innovative and said ‘Holy … I gotta see that. Every end-of-the-Earth movie kind of feels the same.”

You might be thinking, "That's tough talk for someone about to star in a Transformers sequel." Wahlberg, however, argues, "Transformers is a different thing." Beyond the fact that Bay doesn't go over budget, Wahlberg believes, "What Michael's been able to do is elevate the material and take the human element to a whole other place." Moral of the story is don't spend $200 million on a horse movie unless those horses transform into alien robots.

[Spandau Belly]

Transformers is a different thing. Beyond the fact that Bay doesn't go over budget. What Michael's been able to do is elevate the material and take the human element to a whole other place.

I'm sure I've heard Megan Fox's ass described more endearingly in talkbacks and message boards, but I'll give Marky Mark points for sentimentality.

[TheBaxter]

Let Mark Wahlberg Explain Why The Lone Ranger Bombed So Hard

"Hey, Tonto, what's up? i liked your movie, but it was super frikkin expensive, what's that all about? say hi to you mother for me, ok?"

[TheButcher]

Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer Ready to Discuss Producer’s Future
Producer has been based at Disney since the 1990s and has several projects, including a fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" in the works there

Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney will soon discuss whether to continue a relationship that’s been in place since the 1990s or part ways.

The prolific producer will begin meeting with Disney studio chief Alan Horn next month over a new deal to replace a current first look pact that expires in spring 2014, Variety has learned.

Bruckheimer has several films in development at Disney, including a fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean,” that was recently pulled from the summer 2015 release schedule in order to improve the script, and a third “National Treasure,” among other projects. Bruckheimer also has a close relationship with Johnny Depp, with the two launching the “Pirates” franchise together, which has gone on to earn more than $5.4 billion worldwide for Disney.

Overall, Bruckheimer’s films have earned more than $3.4 billion for Disney domestically alone.

But Disney is a different studio these days from when it turned to Bruckheimer to supply many of its bigger hits through the Touchstone banner, including “Armageddon,” “Enemy of the State,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Con Air.”

Today, Disney is relying more on tentpoles from Marvel, Pixar and now Lucasfilm, whose seventh “Star Wars” will be released by Disney in 2015, along with Disney branded live action and animated films.

And Bruckheimer’s films aren’t as successful as they once were, with “Lone Ranger,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” and “G-Force” all pricey stumbles at the worldwide box office.

A new deal would involve reigning in escalating budgets on high-profile tentpole pics and putting a cap on the next “Pirates,” the way Disney stopped production on “Lone Ranger” to reduce the cost of the Western. Should a new first look pact be brokered, Bruckheimer’s overhead deal isn’t expected to change, however.

While Disney’s Horn and production president Sean Bailey speak highly of Bruckheimer, calling their relationship with him “a real partnership,” the producer has other options.

Bruckheimer has another “Bad Boys” in development at Sony, where he made “Black Hawk Down,” and Sony’s Screen Gems will release his Eric Bana thriller “Beware the Night.” He also is developing a “Top Gun” sequel at Paramount and is likely to come aboard the studio’s next “Beverly Hills Cop” film.

[Ribbons]

I watched The Lone Ranger the other day and found it not bad at all. Not especially good, but not bad either. Gore Verbinski directed the shit out of it. The train heist at the beginning of the film was almost worth the price of admission alone.

[TheButcher]

Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer to Split in 2014
UPDATED: The prolific producer tells THR his exit is not about the box office disappointment of "The Lone Ranger," while Disney chief Alan Horn says "this is about a long-term relationship with lots of pluses and minuses."

Bruckheimer says the decision has to do with the types of movies he'd like to make, and is not because of the disappointing box office returns of The Lone Ranger.

"It's time for us to tackle all kinds of movies, not just Disney movies," Bruckheimer tells The Hollywood Reporter. "We're still working on Pirates and hopefully National Treasure, and we still have development at Disney."

The move follows months of speculation about Bruckheimer's future at the studio following the mega-failure of The Lone Ranger. The movie, which cost $250 million to make, brought in less than $50 million during its opening weekend, and has raked in only $89 million at the domestic box office.

Bruckheimer doesn't blame The Lone Ranger for the split.

"We have a full body of work with them. It's not about Lone Ranger. It's more about the types of movies Disney is making, and the types of movies we want to make, in addition to Pirates."

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn tells THR the move is more about Disney's supply of projects than The Lone Ranger.

"This is about a long-term relationship with lots of pluses and minuses. The Lone Ranger certainly didn't help things, but we all have our wins and our losses, and this is an overall thing related to the company's supply of projects from all these other places," Horn says.

He confirms that Disney had no interest in reviving the Touchstone label, adding: "films that fall into that wheelhouse are supplied by DreamWorks."

"I am very appreciative of the wonderful collaboration and support I have had at The Walt Disney Company for over twenty years and the twenty-seven movies we have made together. The good news is we will continue working together on Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure and other projects we have developed together at the studio," said Jerry Bruckheimer. "I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with these amazing people at The Walt Disney Studios, many of whom have become my good friends. As we continue to make adventure films, we look forward to returning to films like Black Hawk Down, Enemy of the State, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Rock."

[tfactor]

WTH?!?! They relaunched a Lone Ranger movie?

What a stupid idea! Next thing your going to tell me some douche like Johnny Depp is playing Tonto yeah take that Native Americans, you've been up on that Casino money making, free education pedestal for too damn long, time to knock them greasers down a peg. Navajo NAVAJO ... you do it with your horse! Hey dog, dog.. did you see the size of that chicken?

Anyplow no parents actually named their child "Army Hammer" did they?