Armie Hammer will be the Lone Ranger to Johnny Depp’s Tonto

After pondering actors like George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling, THE LONE RANGER has grabbed new “It Guy” Armie Hammer to climb into the saddle as the titular Old West hero.

As previously rumored, the SOCIAL NETWORK Winklevoss(es) has officially decided to join Johnny Depp in director Gore Verbinski’s version of the iconic justice-seeker and his sidekick Tonto.

Although if you’re wondering how this Hammer landed such a choice leading role, Depp’s recent comments would imply that his Tonto will actually be the main character this time: “I remember watching [the show] as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: ‘Why is the f—ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do? I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That’s stuck with me. And when the idea came up [for the movie], I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to — ‘eliminate’ isn’t possible — but reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans, not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema, and turn it on its head.”

The Bruckheimer-produced Disney project will hit the dusty trail as soon as Depp finishes DARK SHADOWS, and may ride into theaters for the 2012 holiday season.