Ryan Gosling in talks for The Lone Ranger?

In December Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski officially signed on to direct The Lone Ranger for Disney, with Johnny Depp set to play the characters Native American companion Tonto.

Depp himself said he wouldn’t mind actors such as Brad Pitt or George Clooney playing The Lone Ranger, but according to The Wrap Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) is in early talks to star in the film.

It’s not certain, however, as Gosling will begin filming the Logan’s Run remake later this year. Johnny Depp is currently filming Dark Shadows with Tim Burton, so The Lone Ranger may be the next movie he works on. Whether Gosling joins or not will be a matter of scheduling.

Here’s the synopsis for the old draft of the script written by Pirates scribes Ted Elliott’s and Terry Rossio’s, although new writer Justin Haythe may have re-written it or just started anew:

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.