It's official, The Lone Ranger will shoot in New Mexico; Johnny Depp to play Tonto

Posted at: 01/13/2012 9:56 PM | Updated at: 01/13/2012 10:35 PM
By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4

Johnny Depp is cast to play the role of Tonto.

The shooting starts in February for the long-awaited Lone Ranger movie starring Johnny Depp as Tonto, a project that once appeared to be doomed.

On Friday, Gov. Susana Martinez announced the movie will begin production in New Mexico.

"The Lone Ranger is proof New Mexico's film industry is alive and well, she said.

At one point the movie's producers threatened to shoot it in Louisiana, when Martinez called for cutbacks in the state's sweet rebate deal for the film industry.

The governor and state lawmakers worked out a compromise on that one, and the Lone Ranger rides again!

This is a big film for New Mexico," said state Film Office Chief Nick Maniatis. "It's an iconic character, the Lone Ranger and Tonto."

Maniatis said the film will have a huge economic impact and will help tourism too.

"We're gonna have over 300 crew members that will be employed on this film, 30 featured actors will be employed and over 1,200 extras will be on this film," Maniatis said.

The movie will be shot in and around Santa Fe, Shiprock and Albuquerque.

It is a Disney production, and will star Armie Hammer as the Ranger, alongside Depp as Tonto.

The director is Gore Verbinski, who directed Depp in the Pirates of the Carribean movies, as well as Rango and the immortal Mouse Hunt back in 1997.

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