# The Lone Ranger: Film Opens July 3rd **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564 "2013-06-21T16:31:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/41 "2013-07-02T20:52:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Are there any Native American actors who have the drawing power to star as the lead in a blockbuster? It’d be a lot easier to accumulate star power if you were allowed to actually star in things. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/42 "2013-07-02T21:26:58Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > If you were asked “Are there any white male actors who have the drawing power to star as the lead in a blockbuster?” how many names would you have readily been able to rattle off before listing “Armie Hammer”? > > Would he have been among the first ten names you’d list? The top twenty? Would he even have made the list if you rattled off the names of a hundred age appropriate current actors? > > The title character is being played by an actor that- if known- is known only by the character name from _one_ movie he did three years ago. He may be talented (I thought he was good in _The Social Network_ but have seen him in nothing else) and he may have devoted fans who actually _are_ familiar with his other work- but he ain’t no above-the-banner “name”. > > Clearly they decided they only needed one big name for box office draw. Conceding that it actually is important to have a big name star for a summer blockbuster, they could have- gee, I don’t know- cast a big name star _as the title character_ which would have reduced pressure to have any “star power” for the sidekick. In which case they could have cast any Native American actor with talent. The thing is, star power isn’t a guarantee that a movie will be a success. Will Smith was pretty much the only movie star left who could be the star of the movie and it would be a blockbuster, but that’s not quite the same anymore after After Earth. All the other big stars have multiple films that under-performed or were just plain flops. And there’s also multiple films that star relative unknowns and are big hits. > [@planetcory](#): > > It’d be a lot easier to accumulate star power if you were allowed to actually star in things. Very true. The vast majority of films star a straight white guy in the main role. Many of them have straight white guys in the main supporting role. There’s a lot of great actors and actresses out there who could do great work, but are only cast in a role if the role specifically calls for a woman or minority. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/43 "2013-07-02T21:27:33Z")
I just wish I had 1/10th of 1/100th percent of Depp’s money. Instead, I just have to be content with being more handsome!😃 ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/44 "2013-07-02T22:05:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Are there any Native American actors who have the drawing power to star as the lead in a blockbuster? I’m not sure. Has anyone heard of Taylor Lautner? He’s got _some_ Native American ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/45 "2013-07-02T22:19:45Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I’m not sure. Has anyone heard of Taylor Lautner? He’s got _some_ Native American ancestry. Johnny Depp claims some as well. “Claims” being the operative word - he’s rather vague about it all ( Cherokee or Creek, from somewhere in Kentucky ). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/46 "2013-07-02T22:19:53Z")
Eric Schweig? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/47 "2013-07-02T22:32:09Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Johnny Depp claims some as well. “Claims” being the operative word - he’s rather vague about it all ( Cherokee or Creek, from somewhere in Kentucky ). Everyone in the South has some. A native American by the name of John Smith is owned up to by both sides of my family. Hence we don’t know if I am 1/64 Cherokee or 1/128. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/48 "2013-07-02T22:57:57Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > This is a Johnny Depp vehicle, pure and simple. And as such, it will make a fortune. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the actor playing Tonto get top billing over the Ranger. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/49 "2013-07-02T23:04:09Z")
Oh, and in the spirit of the OP: #1. Yes. I quite enjoyed watching the Clayton Moore version of the Lone Ranger when I was a kid. I can’t remember the last time I saw an episode but it’s been more than 25 years. #2. No. There’s nothing in the trailers to indicate that this movie is worth going to the movies for. #3. No. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/50 "2013-07-03T01:34:16Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Oh, and in the spirit of the OP: > > #1. Yes. I quite enjoyed watching the Clayton Moore version of the Lone Ranger when I was a kid. I can’t remember the last time I saw an episode but it’s been more than 25 years. > > #2. No. There’s nothing in the trailers to indicate that this movie is worth going to the movies for. > > #3. No. I am Carnivorousplant, and I approve this message. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/51 "2013-07-03T02:10:21Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Clearly they decided they only needed one big name for box office draw. Conceding that it actually is important to have a big name star for a summer blockbuster, they could have- gee, I don’t know- cast a big name star _as the title character_ which would have reduced pressure to have any “star power” for the sidekick. In which case they could have cast any Native American actor with talent. Ah, but once you’ve cast Johnny Depp as the Lone Ranger, you can Winklevoss in Johnny Depp as Tonto! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/52 "2013-07-03T16:17:18Z")
SF Chronicle gave it their lowest possible rating. (I’d link to it, but it’s a pay site). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/53 "2013-07-03T16:37:20Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > SF Chronicle gave it their lowest possible rating. The seldom-seen Empty Chair and a raking over the coals by Mick LaSalle. Sounds pretty awful. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/54 "2013-07-03T16:40:02Z")
> [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](#): > > Armie Hammer has the charisma of a tree-stump, Johnny Depp’s performance looks embarrassing at best/racist at worst, and the movie as a whole looks like _Pirates of the Caribbean_ re-skinned. > > I expect it will make more money in one hour than I will ever see in my whole life. Yeah, pretty much this. I like Depp as an actor but what was the last film he did that wasn’t either a Pirates or Tim Burton film? He’s typecasting himself in goofy roles unworthy of his talent, albeit for enormous piles of money (and a certain amount of fun) so I suppose I can’t blame him. > [@NDP](#): > > So far, I have no opinion on the movie except for the fact I’m getting the same sort vibe from it as I did from the Will Smith version of **Wild Wild West** (I just hope there are no giant mechanical spiders). Didn’t WWW get greenlit solely because some Hollywood producer wanted to make a film with a giant mechanical spider and they were willing to stick one into the script? ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/55 "2013-07-03T18:18:43Z")
#1: Yes #2: No #3: N/A I am slightly sad that this film is apparently as bad as it looked from the trailers. This is a ‘franchise’ that meant a lot to a lot of people once upon a time, and this seems like doing it a disservice. Also, it seems to resemble the later (ie. “not good”) Pirates of the Caribbean films moreso than the first one, which I quite enjoyed. Johnny Depp is “typecasting himself in goofy roles”? When was the last time the man played someone who wasn’t on the far side of “eccentric”? The earliest film I can remember him in was Edward Scissorhands, FFS. The most -normal- character I’ve ever seen him play was J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, and that was still pretty weird. When has he ever not played in goofy roles? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/56 "2013-07-03T19:08:44Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Didn’t WWW get greenlit solely because some Hollywood producer wanted to make a film with a giant mechanical spider and they were willing to stick one into the script? I don’t know if that was the reason but the producer who was obsessed with giant mechanical spiders is Jon Peters. According to Kevin Smith, he also tried to get one into the aborted Superman reboot with Nicolas Cage. As for **The Lone Ranger** , a story from todays LA Times says **Despicable Me 2** already has double the box office receipts and it’s just barely ahead of Kevin Hart’s concert film. If it keeps up this way through the 4th of July weekend, **The Lone Ranger** will not just be a box office disappointment but megabomb that destroys even established careers, causes massive executive purges in studio management, and becomes ripe material for comedians and late-night talk show hosts making “bad movie” jokes. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/57 "2013-07-03T19:25:02Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > As for **The Lone Ranger** , a story from todays LA Times says **Despicable Me 2** already has double the box office receipts and it’s just barely ahead of Kevin Hart’s concert film. If it keeps up this way through the 4th of July weekend, **The Lone Ranger** will not just be a box office disappointment but megabomb that destroys even established careers, causes massive executive purges in studio management, and becomes ripe material for comedians and late-night talk show hosts making “bad movie” jokes. Somebody who going to say “who thought it was a good idea to spend $200M on a Western?” which is a reasonable question to ask. Johnny Depp will survive, of course. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Armie Hammer, as his career is just taking off. Comparison to Klinton Spilsbury will be made. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/58 "2013-07-03T19:45:23Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Johnny Depp will survive, of course. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Armie Hammer, as his career is just taking off. Comparison to Klinton Spilsbury will be made. At least Armie has a couple of respectable roles behind him (especially Social Network) and at least one movie lined up (I hope Man from UNCLE is a good adaptation). Spilsbury had nothing before and nothing afterward. I still haven’t seen it to judge, but I’m disappointed by the reaction. I was really hoping that this would be good, that it would bring the character to a new audience, that it would be well-liked. From what I’m reading (and granted, my opinion may be different), it seems like whoever adapted it was throwing in too many crazy elements just for their own sake. (Flesh-eating rabbits?!) However, the Philadelphia Inquirer DID give it a good review. What I said before about walking the line between the character’s ideals and the expectations of a modern audience…well, Marvel did just that with Captain America and did so beautifully. And look at The Mask of Zorro. Took a property that was far from popular among modern audiences and breathed fresh life into it with a wonderful, well-written script. (Wish I could say the same for Legend of Zorro. I mean, there’s “suspension of disbelief” and there’s “quickie divorce in a Catholic region in the nineteenth century”!) Maybe they should have gotten whoever adapted Mask of Zorro to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/59 "2013-07-03T19:54:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yeah, pretty much this. I like Depp as an actor but what was the last film he did that wasn’t either a Pirates or Tim Burton film? Public Enemies The Tourist Rango The Rum Diary And coming soon Transcendence Into the Woods and Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Yea! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564/60 "2013-07-03T19:59:25Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > At least Armie has a couple of respectable roles behind him (especially Social Network) and at least one movie lined up (I hope Man from UNCLE is a good adaptation). Good Lord, don’t let them screw that up! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger-film-opens-july-3rd/661564.md?page=4)