It was rumoured late last year that Jerry Bruckheimer was looking to bring The Lone Ranger to the big screen, and now it's been confirmed that Pirates of the Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio will script a new adventure for the masked hero for the über-producer.
For those not familiar with the Lone Ranger, who was first heard on a 1930s radio show before a hit television series in the '40s, he was part of a band of Texas Rangers lead by his brother Reid. While hunting down the dastardly Butch Cavendish, leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang, the Rangers were ambushed and left for dead. One of their number, our hero, was found alive by a Native American named Tonto. From there, he went on to avenge his slain friends and fight crime with the aid of Tonto, his horse Silver (of "Hi-ho..." fame) and a jaunty hat.
There's plenty of scope for this to be a fun throwback adventure in a very similar style to the first Pirates of the Caribbean or Mask of Zorro, so Elliott and Rossio, who've written some cracking comedy scripts, would seem ideal choices. We'd imagine Bruckheimer will be looking to turn this into a franchise.
As for who should play the Ranger; well, Disney will probably want to cast younger, but we reckon Nathan Fillion has got the right mix of heroism and tongue-in-cheek charm to carry this off. Do we suggest Fillion for almost every role going? Yes, what's your point?