Movies

Johnny Depp: 'Tonto will not be a sidekick'

Published Monday, May 9 2011, 04:08 BST | By Tara Fowler | 30 comments

Johnny Depp has revealed that Tonto will not be the sidekick in the the upcoming version of The Lone Ranger.

Depp spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the film, stating that he plans to change the relationship between the cowboy and Indian from what was seen on the television series that ran between 1949 and 1957.

"I remember watching [the TV series] as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going, 'Why is the f**king Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?'" Depp said.

He continued: "I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to - 'eliminate' isn't possible - but reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans, not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema, and turn it on its head."

In February, director Gore Verbinski promised that Depp's Tonto would be different, stating that the long-announced movie would be told through Tonto's eyes.

Social Network star Armie Hammer is rumoured to be in talks for the role of the Lone Ranger.

The Lone Ranger is due to be released in 2014.