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Johnny Depp's The Lone Ranger prompts film location fight

Written by . Published: August 25 2012

The Mayor of Moab, Utah has blasted Bureau of Land Management officials for upsetting producers of Johnny Depp's new The Lone Ranger movie over a filming sequence.


Dave Sakrison admits he was dismayed to hear that movie bosses had told his staff that they would never return to film in the area surrounding the southern Utah town after clashing with BLM bosses over a permit.


According to local newspaper the Moab Sun News, the conflict occurred last month (Jul12) when a cavalry charge sequence was altered at the last minute to feature more extras, prompting an on-site BLM official to grumble about the affects the filming changes would have on soil and vegetation in the bleak Professor Valley.


Sakrison tells the publication, "It was a substantial disagreement, and a comment made by the producer and director is that they would never come back to Moab because of this issue.


"It is an economic boon to our community... and it would be a good investment for the BLM to understand how Hollywood works."


The Lone Ranger crew spent two weeks in Moab filming at eight different sites. More than 220 locals were hired by Disney bosses during the location shoot.


Depp's new film, in which he plays The Lone Ranger's partner Tonto, is the latest of many western-themed movies to be shot in and around Moab - John Wayne shot Rio Grande there in the late 1940s, and the town and nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks have provided a backdrop for scenes in Stagecoach, Wagon Master, Comancheros and Rio Conchos.


James Franco also shot 127 Hours there and Moab also featured in John Carter.

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