In 2011, Johnny Depp was riding high on the success of his Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and had solidified his position in the entertainment industry as a talented actor with a string of hit movies. However, there was one film that Disney was unsure about making.
After the success of the Pirates franchise, Disney was eager to collaborate with Depp and director Gore Verbinski once again. And so, in 2011, the highly anticipated project, The Lone Ranger, came into existence. However, despite everything being set for production, Disney began to have second thoughts due to one specific reason.
The 2011 Disney project with Johnny Depp was originally planned for a 2012 release, going head-to-head with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Disney was wary of spending over $200 million on a Western film, even with the star power of Depp and Verbinski. In an effort to reduce the budget, the studio took drastic measures, forcing the filmmaker to reevaluate the project. Verbinski had two choices: either find another studio to fund the film or revise the budget for a delayed release.
Despite the setback, The Lone Ranger's production was halted by Disney due to the ballooning budget. Although the script was completed and actors were cast, Disney pulled the plug. Filmmakers scrambled to lower the film's cost from $250 million to $232 million, but the studio was unwilling to pay more than $200 million for a Western.
In 2011, with the film still in the casting phase, Disney decided not to move forward with The Lone Ranger, set to compete with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and World War Z. However, through negotiations, both Verbinski and Depp managed to bring down the budget to $215 million, convincing Disney to give it another chance. Production finally resumed, and the film was released in 2013.
Unfortunately, Disney's concern about the film's budget was justified, as The Lone Ranger struggled at the box office, earning only $260 million worldwide against its $215 million budget.
