The Lone Ranger: Johnny Depp wants Brad Pitt or George Clooney to Star

It was recently reported that Gore Verbinski will direct the upcoming feature film adaptation of The Lone Ranger. The movie’s been in the works for a long time and Johnny Depp has already committed to playing Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s faithful Indian friend.

Depp and Verbinski have worked on several feature films together in the past, most notably the Pirates of the Caribbean pictures. The picture will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and novelist and screenwriter Justin Haythe is behind the script.

There’s no production start date for the project yet and, just as importantly, there’s no Lone Ranger. With a star as popular as Depp playing Tonto, they need someone as big or bigger for the man behind the mask.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Depp had some ideas. He said, “There’s so many interesting possibilities out there… Brad [Pitt] would be great. [George] Clooney would be great. Don’t know who it’s going to be just yet.” Depp hasn’t worked with either actor before though Pitt did appear on an episode of Depp’s old 21 Jump Street series.

One of Depp’s maternal grandparents is Cherokee and the actor says he wants to portray Native American Indians in a different light than they’ve been shown in the past. He noted, “Native Americans in cinema, over the past however many decades, have been treated somewhat shabbily… This one has plans to rectify that.”

What do you think? Are you interested in seeing this movie? Who should play the Lone Ranger? Pitt, Clooney, or someone else?