'Pirate' Duo Tackles 'Lone Ranger'

Zap2It.com | March 28, 2008
Clayton Moore, 'The Lone Ranger'
Clayton Moore, 'The Lone Ranger'
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Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio will write with Jerry Bruckheimer producing

The writers who tapped much booty on "Pirates of the Caribbean" are looking to generate some Silver on "The Lone Ranger."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio are taking a shot at a live-action big-screen version of "The Lone Rangers."

The scribes, who are best known for their work on the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, will be reuniting with producers Jerry Bruckheimer and studio Disney on the "Lone Ranger" project.

The franchise focuses, as the title suggests, on the one Texas Ranger to survive an ambush by a group of outlaws. That Lone Ranger and his Native American buddy and rescuer Tonto (and his trusty stallion Silver) fight for freedom wherever there's trouble. Wait. That's G.I. Joe. Well, it's nearly the same thing, as The Ranger, his mask and his silver bullets have become iconic images since the franchise premiered on the radio in the 1930s.

While "The Lone Ranger" has had myriad successes as a TV show, comic book and novel franchise, several recent incarnations have been duds including a 1981 film that introduced the world to Klinton Spilsbury and a 2003 WB backdoor pilot that left Chad Michael Murray free to do "One Tree Hill."

Disney execs obviously trust Rosso and Elliott's ability to resurrect the dead, looking at the example of both "Pirates" and "The Mask of Zorro."

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