The Lone Ranger Is Tonto's Sidekick?

MARCH 10, 2012 - A photo reportedly released by producer Jerry Bruckheimer is setting Johnny Depp and movie fans abuzz.

The picture (above) shows Johnny Depp in full make-up as the spirit warrior Tonto and Armie Hammer all suited up, sporting the traditional black mask of the Lone Ranger, John Reid.

The Lone Ranger TV show, which aired from 1949-1957, was about the adventures of Ranger-turned-vigilante Reid (played by Clayton Moore), and his Native American sidekick Tonto (Jay Silverheels).

However, in this remake directed by Gore Verbinski, Depp's Tonto looks set to be the main character and Hammer's Lone Ranger is the sidekick!

It has been reported that Depp told Entertainment Weekly magazine that fans can expect a less cartoonish Tonto than the one in the ’50s television series.

“I remember watching it as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: ‘Why is the f—ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?’ ” Depp told the magazine last year. “I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That’s stuck with me. And when the idea came up (for the movie), I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to... reinvent the relationship.”

The new Lone Ranger is currently shooting in New Mexico, reuniting Verbinski with Depp - after Pirates of the Caribbean and Rango. The Disney film is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2013.