Can Gore Verbinski justify a $250 million western?

Disney has pulled the plug on director Gore Verbinski's $250 million "The Lone Ranger" and is demanding tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts.

"At World's End" grossed $963 million.

Based solely on Verbinski's record with Disney's "Pirate of the Caribbean" franchise, one might wonder why Disney is so worried. Didn't the first three films directed by Verbinski gross a combined $2.6 billion?

And don't forget that actor Johnny Depp is set to star as the Lone Ranger's companion Tonto. Depp's last two films with Disney--"Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" this year--each grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Looking at the ever-increasing budgets of the first three "Pirates" films--$140 million, $225 million and $300 million--it's understandable that the studio might be concerned with another $250 million project. And since Depp isn't portraying the lead character here, perhaps his star power may not provide quite the bang (no actor has been named to play the Lone Ranger).

Mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is also attached, as he has been with all four "Pirates" films. But he also helped deliver two less-than-stellar box office results to Disney last summer with "Prince of Persia" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

In the end, however, the decision to take a step back--and perhaps cut their losses altogether--has nothing to do with Verbinski, Depp or Bruckheimer. It has everything to do with the fact that "The Lone Ranger" is a western.

Gore Verbinski trims 'The Lone Ranger' budget, but still millions above Disney's goal

Director Gore Verbinski is trying to salvage his big-budgeted "Lone Ranger" project after Disney pulled the plug Friday.

Johnny Depp

Featuring actor Johnny Depp ("Alice in Wonderland') as the Lone Ranger's companion Tonto and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the project's reported $250 budget million led the studio to halt production.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has reportedly given Verbinski a week to retool the script and cut at least $30 million from the budget. Citing a source, the report states Verbinski has the budget down to around $242 million with the director and Bruckheimer giving up $10 million in fees.

Unfortunately for the future of the project, that seems like the bulk of the cuts Verbinski is willing to make.

Big-budget westerns have not fared well, with last month's "Cowboys & Aliens," a western/sci-fi mash-up, bringing in only $84 million domestically to date on a budget of $163 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

With neither side looking like it's going to blink, the future of the project looks very much in doubt at this point. "The Lone Ranger" had been set for a Dec. 21, 2012, release.

Disney pulling the plug on 'The Lone Ranger'?

Disney has at least temporarily pulled the plug on production of its big-budgeted adaptation of "The Lone Ranger," which was set for released in December 2012.

Johnny Depp

The project features producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp, who teamed together for a little project called "Pirates of the Caribbean."

According to reports, the issue at hand is one of money, namely the large budget, which is in the range of $200 million.

The concern surrounds the fact that the film is a western, which has not exactly lit the box office aflame lately. "Cowboys & Aliens," which was a western/sci-fi mash-up, has brought in $76 million domestically to date on a budget of $163 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Pirates of the Caribbean," on the other hand, includes two of the 10 films to cross the billion-dollar mark. Verbinski directed the first three films of the franchise. He and Depp re-teamed earlier this year for the animated western "Rango," which drew $123 million domestically and $242 million worldwide on a budget of $135 million.

Right now it's not clear if either side will be quick to blink, either Disney and its demands for a smaller budget or Bruckheimer and Verbinski, who seems to be sticking to their guns. Muddying the waters is the fact that Disney needs to keep Depp, who is set to star as the Ranger's Native American companion Tonto, happy so he'll be back for a fifth "Pirates" film.

Incidentally, Paramount Pictures announced this week it is releasing the adaptation of Max Brook's "World War Z" the same weekend as "The Lone Ranger," on Dec. 21, 2012.

Save the date: 'World War Z' to invade theaters Dec. 21, 2012

The zombie horde is coming just in time for Christmas. Paramount Pictures has announced its adaptation of Max Brook's "World War Z" will arrive in theaters on Dec. 21, 2012.

The film will debut Dec. 21, 2012.

The film will opening against Disney's "The Lone Ranger," which stars Johnny Depp in the title role, and will also be competing against the first half of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit," which opens one week earlier on Dec. 14.

The novel "World War Z" is described as a recounting of the "apocalyptic and horrifying years that will make sure we never forget how close we came to total annihilation. Told from the perspective of numerous survivors from all over the world, from Denver to South Africa, Sydney to Yonkers, Malibu to India, 'World War Z' captures the sacrifices and, toward the end, the ingenuity of our race to defend and save our cities, towns, and villages from a plague that seemed virtually impossible to stop."

The movie adaptation stars Brad Pitt ("Ocean's 11," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as the U.N. worker who collects the accounts. Mireille Enos (AMC's "The Killing") will play Pitt's wife, while James Badge Dale (HBO's "Pacific") will play a soldier who tries to warn everyone of the impending threat. French actress Julia Levy-Boeken ("Entourage," "Road Trip: Beer Pong") is also attached, as is Elyes Gabel ("Game of Thrones"), who will play Fassberch. It was also recently announced Bryan Cranston is in talks to play a "small but flashy role" in the film.

Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland," "Quantum of Solace") is directing based on a screenplay from Matthew Michael Carnahan ("State of Play") and J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5," "Thor").