MUMBAI: Disney has stopped the production of The Lone Ranger, a classic western that was to star Johnny Depp. The abrupt move to kill a project that was set to begin shooting in the fall is said to have arisen amid clashes with producer Jerry Bruckheimer over the budget for the film.
 
Disney‘s ambitious film Lone Ranger was to star Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger. The film was to have been directed by Gore Verbinski who had directed the first three editions of Pirates of the Caribbean.
 
The move also raises questions about whether Depp will agree to reprise his starring role in another Pirates film, which is a priority for the studio.

The stoppage of the film is said to be due to budgetary concerns and not creative differences. The studio is said to have given Verbinski a firm budget number but the director didn‘t agree.

While budget numbers for Ranger are hazy, Disney already has a number of expensive projects in hand including John Carte and Oz The Great and Powerful, now under production.