The Lone Ranger is a 2013 American Western action film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.

Based on the title character of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as Tonto, the narrator of the events and Armie Hammer as John Reid, the Lone Ranger.

The story tells through Tonto's memories of the duo's earliest efforts to subdue local villainy and bring justice to the American Old West.

William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Curtis Cregan are featured in supporting roles.

[5] The film premiered at the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure Park on June 22, 2013, and was released theatrically in the United States on July 3, 2013.

[6] In 1933, at a San Francisco funfair, a boy named Will who idolizes the legendary Lone Ranger encounters Tonto, an elderly Comanche who starts recounting his experiences with the Old West adventurer, 64 years earlier.

Dan deputizes John as a Texas Ranger, giving him a silver star badge that belonged to their late father, and with six others they go after the Cavendish gang.

Tonto gives John a silver bullet made from the fallen Rangers' badges and tells him to use it on Cavendish, whom he believes to be a mythical beast called a wendigo.

Realizing Cole is too powerful to be taken down lawfully and regretful since his arrogance in ignoring Tonto led to the slaughter of the Comanches and the kidnapping of his loved ones, John dons the mask again.

Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who worked with Bruckheimer and Disney on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, were being courted to write the script.

[27] Bruckheimer explained the following June that he wanted to wait before hiring a director, until Newell completed Prince of Persia, and until Depp finished filming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

[30] Actor Armie Hammer was selected to play the Lone Ranger, a role that Bruckheimer described as being written for "a young Jimmy Stewart character".

[2][36][37] The studio and production team constrained the film's allocated budget, with Verbinski, Bruckheimer, Depp, and Hammer, equally deferring 20% of their salaries to minimize the overall cost.

[2] After addressing the project's production problems in October 2011, Disney confirmed that the film was back on track after the budget was reworked to give the studio a chance to recoup its costs.

Initially, filming was reported to begin on February 6, 2012, for a projected release date of May 31, 2013,[38] which subsequently was moved to the Fourth of July weekend of that same year.

After Alan F. Horn replaced Rich Ross as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios in 2012, he began working right away on the film, and insisted on trimming most of the scene where Cavendish eats Dan Reid's heart.

[33] Some filming occurred specifically near Creede, Colorado, in June 2012;[41] Moab, Utah, in July 2012; and Cimarron Canyon State Park, New Mexico in August.

[42] Second unit (stunt and blue screen) work commenced in late September 2012 in the parking lot of Santa Anita Racetrack, Arcadia, California.

[45] The shoot met with several problems including inclement weather, wildfires, a chickenpox outbreak and the death of crew member Michael Andrew Bridger on September 21, 2012.

[49][50] Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects for The Lone Ranger,[51] including a CGI-rendering of the Golden Gate Bridge as it looked while under construction during 1936 – although the film's opening is set in 1933.

[52] Beginning in November 2013, the Autry National Center exhibited the costumes Hammer and Depp wore in the film through a loan from the Walt Disney Archives.

[59][31] Production was expected to begin in the fall of 2011, but this was delayed due to budget concerns from Disney,[36][60] and the release date was subsequently pushed to May 31, 2013.

[67] Its world premiere was held on June 22 at the Hyperion Theater in the Hollywood Land district of Disney California Adventure, with proceeds being donated to the American Indian College Fund.

[79] The Hollywood Reporter noted that the losses from the film could surpass $150 million, with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures vice-president Dave Hollis calling these results "very disappointing".

[79][81] Chief analyst for Boxoffice Phil Contrino described the film's box office performance as "the kind of bomb that people discuss for years to come" due to its use of otherwise successful director, producer and stars.

[84] Disney CFO Jay Rasulo expected to attribute a loss of $160–190 million in the company's Studio Entertainment division during the fourth fiscal quarter.

[85][86] In September 2014, studio president Alan Bergman was asked at a conference if Disney had been able to partially recoup its losses on The Lone Ranger and John Carter through subsequent release windows or other monetization methods, and he responded: "I'm going to answer that question honestly and tell you no, it didn't get that much better.

[90] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film "a jumbled botch that is so confused in its purpose and so charmless in its effect that it must be seen to be believed".

[92] Tim Walker of The Independent gave a mixed review, praising Gore Verbinski for "employ[ing] the Old West to good effect, with gorgeous widescreen vistas that owe everything to Sergio Leone and John Ford.

[97][98] Angie Errigo of the British film magazine Empire gave it four of five stars, finding "[r]eal storytelling, well thought-out and beautifully, at times insanely, executed, with excitement, laughs and fun to make you feel seven years old again.