The big budget update of 'The Lone Ranger' won't hit theaters until the summer of 2013. But the first official images of the film were just released on producer Jerry Bruckheimer's Twitter account, offering a peek at Johnny Depp as one of the most iconic sidekicks in pop culture history. 

Lone Ranger
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That's Johnny Depp as Tonto, and 'The Social Network's' Armie Hammer as the title character.  No clarification on why Tonto is eyeing the Lone Ranger with such suspicion in the photo. Perhaps it has something to do with the 23-year old age difference between the actors playing the iconic partners (Depp is 48 and Hammer is 25.) Maybe Depp is just sizing the youngster up.

Shooting on the reboot of the Western classic, which has been in development since 2003, began this month. Depp, who has some Native American heritage, has been attached to the Tonto character since 2008, while Hammer was a more recent addition to the film.

The movie will be directed by Gore Verbinski, who also helmed the first three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies. The last big screen adaptation of the Wild West tale, 1981's 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger,' was a pretty legendary flop. However, interest in the film and Depp's involvement suggest this 2013 version won't suffer the same fate. How do you think Depp looks as Tonto?

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