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Does the movie's failure point to a deeper problem for Johnny Depp? Story by Matt Cummings First there was Dark Shadows , then The Lone Ranger , then Transcendence . Now, Lionsgate is having to admit another of their Johnny Depp enterprises has fallen on hard times. Speaking to Variety, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer admitted has asserted that Johnny Depp’s caper comedy Mortdecai will be a “very manageable” loss for the studio despite its terrible box office performance. “It’s clearly a disappointment,” Feltheimer told analysts Friday during a company conference call to discuss earnings for its third quarter which ended on December 31. Mortdecai, which cost $60 million to make, has only generated $7 million since it launched on January 23. Internationally, it's added only $11 million. Although Feltheimer attempted to explain the loss with purely financial facts, the real question on everyone's mind was, "Is Johnny Depp no longer a bankable actor?"

Armie Hammer may not have seen the career boost he might have expected when The Lone Ranger failed to connect with audiences, but he’s still booking films. Variety reports that he’ll star in a psychological thriller called Mine . No, the film won’t see him playing a live-action version of the seagulls from Finding Nemo . He’s actually set to play a soldier who finds himself stranded in the desert after a failed assassination mission. Exposed to the rigours of the harsh environment, he’ll have to battle life-threatening dangers and psychological trauma as he tries to survive. We're guessing there might be landmines involved as well, but possibly we're overthinking the title there. Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro are set to co-write and direct the film, aiming to star work in the autumn, with The Conjuring 's producer Peter Safran overseeing the shoot. We’re just hoping Hammer doesn’t have flashbacks to his Ranger days in the desert. Next up for the actor is Gu

Johnny Depp is in Europe right now, but really wanted to make The Lone Ranger. According to one insider, "Let's see how it all shakes out on Monday. There's always a chance that it could go. You never know until you know." The deeper story behind this production stoppage is about how movies are costing too much, studios are giving major pushback, and today's backdrop of a crazy economy. Everyone involved is still intent on the project and still in discussions to see what can be done. But the studio's concern is spending over $200M on a Western, even with Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp and a comedic slant. So clearly Disney took drastic action. Now the studio and filmmakers are trying to figure out the next step, either to shop it elsewhere or put it back together at a later date at a lower budget. In a stunning development, Disney has shut down production on The Lone Ranger , the Gore Verbinski-directed period Western that was to star Johnny Depp as Tonto

Disney will release Lone Ranger on December 21, 2012, giving the studio a big holiday entry in a crowding field. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Armie Hammer as the title character and Johnny Depp as Tonto , takes place in 1869. A Texas Ranger, left for dead, is saved by the Comanche Tonto, who gives his new partner the masked identity of Lone Ranger. Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio wrote the script and Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. The film begins production later this year. The holiday corridor of 2012 is getting more competitive. Warner Bros recently set a December 14, 2012 release date for the Peter Jackson-directed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , and on December 21, the Ang Lee-directed Life of Pi opens against Universal's untitled Judd Apatow film as well as Relativity Media's Hunter-Killer. Of course, date shifting is allowed. Coming off the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, this is the second major film

Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in Disney's " The Lone Ranger ." It's early, and Gosling's schedule might not permit him to take the role of the Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto. Gosling is starring as Logan in "Logan's Run" which is scheduled to begin production this fall. " The Lone Ranger " is a big movie: Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, is directing the adaptation of the durable franchise for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The Lone Ranger started as a radio serial and was later turned into a TV series. The Lone Ranger is a masked lawman who, with his Native American friend Tonto, fights injustice. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels starred in the "Lone Ranger" television series form 1949 to 1957. "Revolutionary Road's" Justin Haythe is writing the screenplay. "The Lone Ranger" is scheduled to be released in 2014. Please Leave

Hughes Brothers Turned Down Pirates of the Caribbean & Lone Ranger What a mistake, in my opinion I guess if the shoe doesn't fit don't wear it. The brothers haven't had a hit since Menace To Society and Dead Presidents but I do have my fingers crossed with their up coming film The Book Of Eli. Nearly a decade passed between films for Albert and Allen Hughes—2001's "From Hell" to next week's "Book of Eli"—but don't think for a second the twin brothers weren't busy. They pursued a bunch of different Hollywood projects, and were pursued for many more. Two such films, as MTV News has exclusively learned, were mammoth Disney productions. The Hughes brothers were approached to direct both "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and "The Lone Ranger." Once Gore Verbinksi dropped out of the "Pirates" franchise in April after directing the first three films and before Rob Marshall signed on, the Hughes broth

Johnny Depp To Give Lone Ranger's Tonto A Jack Sparrow Treatment Jerry Bruckheimer is developing a new movie based on The Lone Ranger, the popular western hero from radio plays and movie serials, and Johnny Depp is attached to play the Native American sidekick, Tonto. Bruckheimer said to expect Depp to do for Tonto what he did with Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. "[Pirates writers Ted] Elliot and [Terry] Rossio worked on that also with some other writers and with Johnny [Depp]," Bruckheimer said in a group interview last week in Santa Monica, Calif. "So they're creating something that has a kind of true-to-the-western [feel], but adding other additional elements like we did with Pirates so it won't be just a straight-ahead western." Depp's choice to play the Native American sidekick fits the actor's quirky tastes. Bruckheimer "We're still creating a pretty wide net and figuring it out," Bruckheimer said. "It c

Details on "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" This Most have been amazing to see Johnny Depp come out all dressed up as Jack Sparrow. This will be one of those I wish I was there moment. Depp was welcomed with raucous applause as he sailed onstage in a pirate ship dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow. He staggered about and embraced Cook, who announced that "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" would be released in the summer of 2011. Depp will also play Tonto in a big-screen adaptation of "The Lone Ranger," Cook said. Burton showed footage from his 3-D take on "Alice in Wonderland," which stars Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. "I've always loved the imagery" of the Lewis Carroll story, Burton said, and the opportunity to tell it in 3-D seemed "trippy and great." Cook announced another Burton-Disney project: The studio will release a feature-length version of Burton's animat

Jerry Bruckheimer Updates his Slate of Films Producer Jerry Bruckheimer gave us a quick update on his slate of upcoming movies as we and a group of other reporters chased him down a hallway following his press conference promoting ABC's The Forgotten at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday: ♦Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: The film based on Ubisoft's video game, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is heavy into editing. Bruckheimer said post-production is going well and he should have a trailer ready soon. "I hope in the fall," he said. "Fall or Christmas." ♦ Pirates of the Caribbean 4 : Rob Marshall is reportedly in line to take over as director of the lucrative Jack Sparrow franchise from Gore Verbinski. Bruckheimer said that he is confident Marshall can carry the torch, but did not confirm the Chicago director yet. "I think it'll be great," Bruckheimer said. "First we've got to make a