First look at The Lone Ranger

It's had a rather troubled development period but the first image from The Lone Ranger movie is finally here.

Earlier today, Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted an early glimpse of next summer's blockbuster which sees The Social Network's Armie Hammer take on the role of the masked crime-stopper. His loyal companion Tonto is played by the rather non-Native American Johnny Depp, while Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Barry Pepper are also set to star.

The new adaptation of the classic western TV series has had a rough road to production with numerous script rewrites, director changes and a drastic budget cut all getting in the way. But shooting is now underway in Mexico, with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski at the helm.

Depp claims that his version of Tonto will be more substantial than what we're used to, transforming a sidekick into a fully-fledged partner while Hammer has denied the rumours that the plot involved werewolves. Which is a relief.

The Lone Ranger will be released on May 31st 2013.