Is that Captain Jack Sparrow with a feather in his hair? Yes, and he’s standing next to Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, for a very good reason: yesterday on the stage of the Kodak Theatre, Mr. Cook announced that Johnny Depp will not only return for a fourth PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film at some point, but will also play Tonto, the Native American sidekick, in an upcoming Disney version of the classic western adventure, THE LONE RANGER. Both PIRATES 4 and THE LONE RANGER will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

While rumors of a 4th POTC film have been swirling ever since AT WORLD’S END hit screens last summer, the news about THE LONE RANGER came as a complete surprise to Depp fans. The role of the Ranger himself is not yet cast (not an easy job, that), nor is any director attached to the project. The script is rumored to be by Ted Elliott and Terry Russio, who wrote the POTC films.

The Zone thanks Cindy for breaking the news and Emma for the photo of Johnny Depp and Dick Cook. We also thank the many members who have posted articles about the Disney announcements; it is all over the media today. You can read the Variety article HERE, and the Hollywood Reporter story HERE. There is a lively discussion of these Disney projects on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

The Zone congratulates Johnny Depp on his roles in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE LONE RANGER, and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4. We look forward to seeing him bring these characters to the screen–the more, the merrier! And we would also like to clarify one point: although Dick Cook’s announcement gave the impression that Johnny would go from one Disney project to the next, that is somewhat misleading; Depp fans should expect to see a couple of Warner Bros./Infinitum Nihil projects being scheduled soon, too. –Part-Time Poet