(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sun 1 February 2026 20:45, UK
Johnny Depp has had more misses than hits lately, but not all of his failed films were the result of greed and laziness.
It’s easy to forget that Depp was once a subversive, enigmatic young actor whose tastes were the opposite of what mainstream Hollywood was interested in. His willingness to take on unusual roles in everything from Dead Man to Donnie Brasco suggested that he had no desire to wield the power of commercial viability.
However, this quickly changed within the 21st century when the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise turned him into one of the biggest stars in the world; it soon became that Depp would transform himself physically in order to make each of his upcoming projects into an event.
Although the popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean did not wane, Depp’s characters began to feel more forced: in between Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Rum Diary, and The Tourist, his schtick began to feel more tired, even if casual audiences still seemed willing to eat it up, reaching a head with The Lone Ranger, which served as a reunion with director Gore Verbinski, who had helmed the first three instalments of the Pirates franchise. While multiple versions of the film had been in development for years, the one that was released in 2013 starred Armie Hammer as the lawman John Reid, with Depp taking on the role of his Native American sidekick, Tonto.
The Lone Ranger may have been a property that had been popular for decades, but there was certainly some concern about the film’s representation of its Native American character, given that Hollywood has a history of perpetuating negative stereotypes, of which Depp seemed aware and stated that he saw the film as “potentially an opportunity to right the wrong”.
He showed respect to Jay Silverheels, the original actor who played Tonto, and mentioned his own Native American heritage as a reason for taking on the role; however, the frustration with Depp’s acting choices seemed to finally reach a celing in the summer of 2013, when The Lone Ranger made its debut within a packed season roster that also included Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Man of Steel, Fast & Furious 6, and Despicable Me 2.
The film didn’t just underperform, but became a generational disaster for Disney, proving that the studio seemed incapable of making original live-action adventure films, having been hot off the heels of other Disney bombs like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Tron: Legacy, and John Carter; this one had even more significant expectations attached because of the involvement of Depp and Verbinski.
The actor has turned in a lot of bad performances in recent years, but his role as Tonto isn’t necessarily one of them. Those expecting The Lone Ranger to be purely escapist fun may have been surprised to find a dark, sinister revisionist epic that wrestled with America’s history of genocide and examined the role that trauma played in turning both Reid and Tonto into vigilantes.
Although the film became an easy target because of its bloated budget, it is much better than it’s been given credit for. However, none of Depp’s good intentions prevented the film from becoming such a misfire that it both questioned his career and potentially eradicated the opportunity for The Lone Ranger franchise to ever mount a comeback.
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