Armie Hammer Will Play the Lone Ranger Alongside Johnny Depp

05/19/2011 at 04:35 PM EDT

Armie Hammer will play the masked crusader in Disney's version of The Lone Ranger, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Joining Hammer in the saddle will be Johnny Depp as his sidekick Tonto.

But don't expect it to be a similar partnership to the one in the classic Western TV series.

"I remember watching [the show] as a kid and going: 'Why is the f–ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?' " Depp previously told EW. "I knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. When the idea came up [for the movie], I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans – not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema – and turn it on its head."



The 6' 5" Hammer, who is the great-grandson of tycoon Armand Hammer, gained notoriety playing both of the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network. He will next be seen in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. – Sara Hammel