INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

The movie version of The Lone Ranger, in which Johnny Depp is slated to play Tonto, has become a hot topic in Indian country, with Native pundits and movie lovers debating whether Depp is right for the part. For awhile last year, the movie was shelved over budgetary concerns; to get it going again, Depp, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer reportedly had to trim the $250 million price tag to $215 million to please the film’s studio, Disney. Now, though, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the projected cost may have crept back up to $250 million.