**Update: **No burn this time. According to the LA Times, Hammer will be the masked man of the title to work alongside Johnny Depp's Tonto.
We’ve been burned before about early Lone Ranger casting rumours – Gosling, we’re scowling at you as we write this – but now word comes down the trail that The Social Network’s Armie Hammer is in early talks to take the title role.
Assuming there isn’t a press release from his management team denying he’s even so much as heard of The Lone Ranger, if Hammer takes the role it’ll see him starring as the masked crusader alongside Johnny Depp as Tonto.
The latest attempt by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer to launch a franchise has been slowly creeping through development for ages now, but with Gore Verbinski in place to direct and Depp committed pending an available slot in his schedule, it looks like the studio is pushing ahead with casting the main man.
Hammer’s been in demand since his performance as the privileged Winklevoss twins (aided by Josh Pence) brought his name front and centre to casting agents’ minds. He’s since scored a hefty part in Clint Eastwood’s J Edgar and will play the Prince in Tarsem Singh’s take on Snow White.
But Lone Ranger could be in another league altogether. Assuming he finally locks a deal to star…