Written by new-contact on Jan 17, 2012. Posted in Production News

New Mexico confirms it will host location filming for Johnny Depp’s Lone Ranger

After tentative announcement last November, New Mexico has officially confirmed that it’s hosting big-budget adaptation The Lone Ranger, which will feature Johnny Depp as Tonto. The project will film in locations including Santa Fe and Albuquerque from February to August this year.

New Mexico’s been a popular choice for big-budget studio production over the past few years, but its appeal was thrown into doubt last year when new Governor Susana Martinez campaigned to slice 10% from the state filming incentive. In the end a compromise was reached, with the state keeping its 25% figure, but with a reduced annual cap of USD50 million.

The Lone Ranger is proof that New Mexico’s film industry is alive and well.

Susana Martinez, Governor of New Mexico

Governor Martinez stated: “The Lone Ranger is proof that New Mexico’s film industry is alive and well. This administration is committed to fostering productive relationships with film studios so we can continue to offer our talented workforce and breathtaking backdrops for major productions. As we continue to build upon our reputation as a premier film production centre, we are pleased to welcome The Lone Ranger to our state.”

Jerry Bruckheimer is producing: “We couldn’t be happier to bring The Lone Ranger production to New Mexico. The state’s world-class crews, local talent and spectacular locations will be critical in helping us take this iconic story and legendary characters to new heights.”

The state’s world-class crews, local talent and spectacular locations will be critical in helping us take this iconic story and legendary characters to new heights.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Producer

In the last months of 2011 Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was aiming to secure a one-off incentive deal for the film that was comparable to the programmes available in Louisiana, but it’s not clear whether anything was agreed. The production itself was shut down for several weeks during pre-production last summer when Disney demanded a USD50 million budget cut.