Additional actors are joining the Lone Ranger movie, a comics legend has died, Ryan Seacrest could join The Today Show, The Smurfs are on top, Webster fans have to go online, and a handful of dates in TV show history.

The Lone Ranger
Now that the feature film is in the works again, Disney wants director Gore Verbinski to lock in his cast. It looks like Ruth Wilson will play the female lead and Tom Wilkinson will play the movie’s villain, Latham Cole. Deals are also in the works with Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale and Dwight Yoakum. Starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, production on The Lone Ranger begins in February.

Batman
Jerry Robinson, a pioneer artist of comic books has died at the age of 89. While working for Bob Kane on the early Batman comics, he co-created Robin the Boy Wonder and is credited as being the primary creator of The Joker. He went on to draw numerous other DC comics and then, later in life, became a comics historian and an advocate for the rights of artists.

The Today Show
It’s being reported that NBC is pursuing American Idol host Ryan Seacrest to possibly replace Matt Lauer if he decides to leave the program next year. Network execs apparently met with Seacrest on Tuesday to discuss it. The talks are apparently very preliminary and could actually be part of a negotiating tactic for NBC. Lauer has been with Today since 1997 and has outlasted several female co-hosts. The morning program brought in $535 million in ad revenue in 2010, up 5.6% from a year earlier.

The Smurfs
The first of three CGI films based on the 1980s cartoon series, The Smurfs, has been released on DVD. It debuted in the number one spot on the national home video sales charts and bumped Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to the second slot after three weeks at the top. The little blue creatures’ movie pulled in $142.3 million in US theaters.

Webster
If you’ve been looking forward to the fourth season of Webster, the 1980s family sitcom that ran for six seasons on ABC, you’ll have to look on the web to find it. The DVD set won’t be sold in stores but instead will be available exclusively via Shout! Factory’s website. The set will contain all 23 episodes, will sell for $29.93, and go on sale on January 17th.

ON THIS DAY…

2008: Alan Shore and Denny Crane were married on the last episode of Boston Legal.

2006: Captain Louanne ‘Kat’ Katraine died on Battlestar Galactica.

1990: The last episode of Wiseguy aired on CBS.

1986: The 100th episode of Newhart aired on CBS.

1952: Lucy Ricardo discovered she’s pregnant on I Love Lucy on CBS. Despite popular belief, this wasn’t the first pregnancy on television.

What do you think? Would Ryan Seacrest be a good anchor on Today? Could he handle tough news? Do you like the sound of the Lone Ranger cast? Have you seen the Smurfs movie?