'Lone Ranger' aims to take Tonto beyond sidekick

"a white man playing Tonto"

Johnny Depp is white? ha ha

Tonto may be Depp's greatest character, even surpassing Captain Jack Sparrow! Can't wait to see it!

Depp has played a few quirky characters, but having him play Tonto is just wrong. Bet he hams it up "like his Sparrow performances) and ends up being a ridiculous caraciture of what a "Red Indian" is supposed to be.

e.g. Depp is not quite donning “red face,” as he wears a mask of white and black paint through the film. That heavy eye makeup sets off the whites of his eyes, which he widens to comic effect when confronted with handcuffs, rifles and hurtling trains.

Identity is more complicated than many would like to make it. Why couldn't a Native American be hugely successful and live in France, any more than a Frenchman be hugely successful and live in America?

During filming, Depp, who has identified himself as being of Native American ancestry, was ceremonially adopted into the Comanche Nation by way of a private ceremony in the presence of then-tribal chairman Johnny Wauqua. Local Navajo elders performed a Navajo Blessing before shooting in Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah state line, and LaDonna Harris, a social activist known for her leadership of the Americans for Indian Opportunity, was invited on set.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-lone-rangers-johnny-depp-435652

Looking forward to the film.

I like this version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CebRfSFnWGM

Should be a fun flick...Thank You Mask Man

I wouldn't be surprised if the name changed to "Tonto" when it comes to theaters here.

Who was that masked man?

I wonder if we'll get a hearty cry of "Hi Ho Silver!"

"he also loses the subservience"

The Lone Ranger is going to play second fiddle to Depp's Tonto.

The Lone Ranger will be to Tonto as Alice was to the Mad Hatter.

It is a nice thought, but the only real way to change the image of Tanto would be to change his name. The word "tanto" means stupid in Spanish. The creators knew this when they first made the series way back when. That is why he never had any real leading parts in any of the shows.... I'm sure that information is floating around the net somewhere. I could never appreciate the Lone Ranger movies after getting that dirty piece of historical information. I wish they would have just left it in the closet... Think about what he is really saying when he says the line, "Hey Tanto...."

Native Americans used to be portrayed as merciless savage warriors. Now they are portrayed as eccentric crackpots. Does that mean that we have moved forward?