When we last checked in on the Lone Ranger, Johnny Depp was playing a Native American stereotype and we were all pretending like that wasn’t totally offensive. Well, here comes karma because apparently the movie is now ballooning its budget and way behind schedule. Whoops. Via Hollywood Reporter:
Insiders say the movie, which began shooting Feb. 28 in New Mexico, is not only running days or possibly weeks behind its 120-day shooting schedule, it’s also over its revised budget. Several sources say the effects-heavy Lone Ranger is now back at its original cost of $250 million, while one source close to the production says it has surpassed that figure. “It’s up to a number they didn’t want,” says one insider. Verbinski is again being asked to cut scenes — he already made such sacrifices as losing a major train sequence in the first round of trims — and rewrites are underway, according to a source. (A Disney spokesperson says the $250 million budget number is inaccurate.)
Hmmmmm … does anyone else remember a certain other Disney movie that cost $250 million that ended up flopping so hard that a high-ranking Disney exec had to resign over it? Because I’m sure that won’t happen again, right? … right?