Netflix Gets Bigger; THE LONE RANGER Stars Take Paycuts

Netflix just keeps on getting bigger. After making the smart move of not doing their Qwikster idea, Netflix has added more shows to their catalog. Netflix, Warner Bros. Television Group, and CBS Corporation have signed a four-year deal that will allow Netflix to stream The CW's current series and future shows to Netflix as well as some of CBS' series. This will include shows such as Ringer, The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, and One Tree Hill.

The previous seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill will be available October 15th. Supernatural won't be streamed until January 2012, and all episodes of shows that air on The CW this season will be made available in the fall of 2012. After the break,  gigantic paycuts are made so that The Lone Ranger will happen.

After Disney almost pulling the plug on The Lone Ranger for having an awful budget of $250 million,  director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been spending about two months trying to find out ways to cut costs. According to Variety, this is what they have come up with:

• Verbinski, Bruckheimer, and the stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer will all take 20% paycuts; certain payments will be deferred until The Lone Ranger starts making money
• Bruckheimer Films will be responsible for any cost overruns
• Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio reworked the script by Justin Haythe to eliminate a few expensive sequences involving supernatural elements that require a lot of effects work.

While you may think this is a generous act, consider this. The film is still $215 million. That's still a shit ton of money. Far too much if you ask me. Regardless, the film shall go on. Tom Wilkinson and Ruth Wilson are still on board, and the shoot will be delayed from November to February 2012. With this, The Lone Ranger will end up not being released on December 21, 2012. It's an interesting project that I'll end up seeing, and I'll most likely recommend all you to see it too.