The Lone Ranger Movie Trailer 2013 (+VIDEO): Depp Promises to "Turn the Way Indians are Treated in Cinema on its Head"

Walt Disney Studios has released a new trailer of The Lone Ranger, starring Armie Hammer as the Ranger and Johnny Depp as Tonto.

The reinvention of the 1949 TV series reunites Director Gore Verbinksi, Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and Depp, who previously worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy together. The official synopsis of Ranger reads, "Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice."

It appears that Tonto will be the narrative lens of the movie, a theory which the trailer drives home. Actor Tom Wilkinson narrates the introduction of the film's teaser as the camera deftly avoids still shots of The Lone Ranger and Tonto until the very end of the video, when Depp's character exclaims, "There come a time, kemosabe, when good men must wear masks." At no point does John Reid have a line of dialogue in the short trailer.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp combed through his memories of the series: "I remember watching it as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: 'Why is the [expletive] Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?'"

Depp adds, "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 - '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." 

While the film's $250,000,000 budget infers that the creative team may have to make several creative concessions to the studio, The Lone Ranger aims to provide a more respectful, character based interpretation of the source material than most expect.

Look for The Lone Ranger in theaters on July 3, 2013.