Disney's 'Lone Ranger' gets release date

Walt Disney has set a date for Gore Verbinski's "The Lone Ranger": Dec. 21, 2012. The film follows a Texas ranger who after being saved by Commanche Tonto, takes on the masked identity of Lone Ranger. Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer star.

Justin Haythe wrote the "Ranger" script, and Jerry Bruckheimer is producing, naturally. In terms of the release date, "The Lone Ranger" now battles Ang Lee's "Life of Pi." Also, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens December 14. (via Deadline)

Movie Review: "Rango"

Seen on: March 4, 2011

The players: Director: Gore Verbinski, Writer: John Logan, Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy

Facts of interest: Verbinski also helmed "The Ring" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

The plot: Rango is a pretty insecure chameleon who gets lost in the desert and later stumbles across a small town in desperate need of water.

Our thoughts: Gore Verbinski’s “Rango” is a whole lot of fun to watch on the big screen; I can tell you that much. Loaded with eccentric characters and a solid amount of enjoyable action moments paired with fresh humor, this animated adventure easily goes down as one of the more memorable films of 2011. “Rango” sure has its imperfections, but in terms of fast-paced family fun, the movie definitely delivers on its commitment to entertain its audiences.

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Watch this new, funny clip from 'Rango'

In terms of upcoming animated flicks, Gore Verbinski's "Rango" is definitely the one I'm looking forward to most. I love the look of the characters and the film's gorgeous animation, and to be honest, I'm even already sold on the storyline. Long story short, it looks like a ton of fun, and here is a new clip to prove it.

"Rango" is a family western that follows a depressed chameleon (voiced by Depp) trying to survive in the ruthless desert. Johnny Depp voices the lizard, and he's backed by Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina and Ray Winstone. The movie opens March 4, 2011. Bring it on.

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Finally: The real 'Rango' trailer is here

Just yesterday we got a first look at Johnny Depp's animated character in Gore Verbinski's upcoming adventure "Rango," and now we're in for the first official trailer, which you can check out after the jump.

Finally, we really get a good look at what to expect in "Rango," a sort of western family adventure that follows a depressed chameleon (voiced by Depp) trying to survive in the ruthless desert. Sounds cool.

In fact, I have to admit I am more impressed by the visuals than anything else right now. It looks like the artists behind this project invested a lot of time to focus on detail, and that can make a big difference.

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Meet Johnny Depp's Rango in new poster

We've seen that weird teaser trailer for Gore Verbinksi's upcoming animated adventure "Rango," and now it's time to check out the first poster for the film, which hits theaters March 4, 2011. See below.

The one-sheet shows the film's lead character Rango, who is a chameleon. Rango has an identity crisis, and that's why he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. That's what we know about plot at this stage.

"Rango" was written by John Logan, and besides Johnny Depp, the voice cast includes Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Alfred Molina and Ray Winstone. Trailer is coming soon!

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'Rango' teaser trailer is so weird...

Gore Verbinski has been working on an animated family flick titled "Rango," and Paramount has released a short preview for the film. It's sort of a teaser, but it's incredibly weird. See for yourself after the jump.

Okay, so what you see there isn't special or even that visually pleasing, right? It is a tease, sure, but then again, there are better ways to get people excited. Personally, I'm intrigued, but that's it, really.

Written by John Logan, screenwriter of “The Aviator,” the plot focuses on a pet that embarks on an adventure to discover its true self. Johnny Depp is on board to voice the pet. Isla Fisher is also on board.

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Juan Carlos Fresnadillo to direct 'Bioshock'

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who directed the excellent horror sequel "28 Weeks Later," is now officially in talks to direct "Bioshock" for Universal. Believe it or not, but this project really looks like it's finally moving along.

Gore Verbinski was originally set to helm the film, but he recently dropped out. Universal slowed down the project because of budget concerns, setting it up to be shot overseas. That decision did not work with Verbinski's schedule, so he left the director's chair.

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What will happen to Verbinski's 'Bioshock' movie?

Back in April, Universal decided to delay Gore Verbinski's big-screen adaptation of "Bioshock" because the budget was quite simply too high, and in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" director briefly spoke about his uncertain involvement in the project:

"The bottom line is it has to shoot out of the States for budget reasons and my schedule may be prohibitive. There's a great script and a really interesting cast. It really comes down to the financial model now. Big movies are just not being shot in the States. I'm weighing whether I can physically go the U.K. or Australia or one of those other places with a tax rebate for a year-and-a-half."

So there you have it. "Bioshock" may move ahead without Verbinksi if he's too busy to shoot overseas. If that's the case, then too bad, because I would have enjoyed seeing his vision on the silver screen. Besides the "Pirates" trilogy, Verbinski also directed "The Weather Man" and "The Ring." He's got "Rango" coming up in 2011.

Daily news dose: 'Bioshock' put on hold; David R. Ellis to direct 3D 'Humpty Dumpty'

Here's your dose of film news for April 27, 2009:

• Universal has decided to delay Gore Verbinski'a big-screen adaptation of "Bioshock" because of the size of the budget. $160 million is apparenty more than the studio wants to invest into the project, and as Verbinski told Variety, he's now considering moving the production outside the U.S.

• David R. Ellis, the guy behind "Snakes on a Plane" and "Cellular," is set to direct "Humpty Dumpty," a 3D horror flick about a half-human, half-alien creature who goes nuts after his mom is attacked by two rednecks. Billy Majestic is writing thre script. (Variety)

• Dimension is going after the big-screen rights to Sarah Langan's upcoming horror novel "Audrey's Door," which follows a young woman who moves into a house haunted by ghosts and other creepy occupants. Once moved in, she's forced to build a portal to a terrifying world. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• An anonymous source told the folks at ShockTillYouDrop that Bill Murray will deliver a cameo appearance in Ruben Fleischer's upcoming horror comedy "Zombieland." Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Amber Heard, Abigail Breslin and Woody Harrelson co-star in the film.

No more 'Pirates' for Gore Verbinski!

Gore Verbinski's had enough of pirates, and I truly believe that's a good thing. After directing three "Pirates of the Caribbean" flicks, the filmmaker has officially told Jerry Bruckheimer he will not return to helm a fourth film, according to Variety.

Verbinski will instead devote considerable time developing Universal's big-screen version of the popular videogame “Bioshock,” which he will direct and produce. The film is set in the underwater dystopian city of Rapture and follows a plane crash survivor who must battle against the city’s mutated beings and mechanical drones.

Verbinski has been working on Paramount's animated flick "Rango," which features the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin.

Even though a fourth "Pirates" film will certainly happen, I respect Verbinski's decision to step down as "Pirates" director. I really enjoyed the first film in the series, but the sequels failed to impress me.