10 Actors Who Went Through Hell (For Films No-One Saw)
5. Johnny Depp Could've Been Trampled - The Lone Ranger
Nobody was expecting much from Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean but it went on to become a billion-dollar franchise. When the director announced he was adapting The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp in a starring role, cinephiles naturally assumed it would be another huge hit.
Sadly, everything fell apart from the get-go. The production was bombarded by intense weather, a wildfire, and a chickenpox outbreak. Many critics found Depp's casting as a Native-American character, Tonto, disrespectful and a typical example of whitewashing.
As bad as that sounds, things could have turned out so much worse. While filming a chase scene, Depp fell off his horse, Scout, and was dragged 25ft. As Depp plunged to the ground, the horse could have easily trampled him to death. Luckily, Scout instinctively tried to dodge Depp and so, only clipped him.
Because the budget was a staggering $215 million and another $185 million was paid for advertising, the movie had to make a monumental $800 million to be deemed a success. The Lone Ranger only made $260 million, making it one of the biggest movie bombs in history.