The road for the big screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger has been long, windy, and bumpy. First the movie was running at full steam, then it was shut down for going over budget, and then it was back on track with a reduced budget and some minor script changes. But those reductions in budget apparently weren’t enough to keep the cast from growing, as THR tells us that British actor James Frain has hopped on board the production, set for the role of a railroad foreman.
Frain, whose biggest feature was TRON: Legacy, but has made his name with television shows such as True Blood and The Tudors, will be playing the right hand man of the movie’s villain, Tom Wilkinson. Meanwhile, Armie Hammer will be donning the black mask of the Ranger himself, while Johnny Depp will be taking the reins as Tonto, the Ranger’s Native American sidekick. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is set to be released May 31st, 2013.
Frain seems like a good addition to this cast. He has a penchant for playing devious, strange, yet strangely charismatic characters. His turn as a lovelorn, vampiric kidnapper in True Blood was the awkward highlight of the third season, and his portrayal of Thomas Cromwell in The Tudors was deceitfully cunning. In truth, this casting sort of makes me more excited for this movie than the rumors of werewolves.
What about you? How do you feel about this film, not to mention Frain’s involvement?