It wasn't so long ago that we were reporting that Disney had pulled the plug on the ambitious new movie version of The Lone Ranger .
Now, Deadline are reporting that the problems have been all but resolved at the studio, and an official announcement is expected next week.
The key players - Johnny Depp as Tonto, Armie Hammer as the masked hero and Ruth Wilson ( Luther ) as the female lead - are expected to be back, and we're hoping Helena Bonham Carter will return, too.
While it seemed strange that a project from the Pirates Of The Caribbean power-combo of Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski could ever be shelved, the primary concern was the budget, which was edging north of $250m.
Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski have apparently chipped that figure down to a mere $215m.
Deadline suggests the disappointing performance of this summer's western-themed Cowboys & Aliens could have caused Disney's hesitance.
The vintage property still sounds like a slightly risky proposition, but there's always the underlying hope that Depp, Verbinski and Bruckheimer could recapture the spirit of the first Pirates , with plenty of laughs, adventure and old-fashioned swashbuckling.
It's not yet clear if The Lone Ranger is still expected to hit its original December 2012 release date.
