The Lone Ranger was never really a loner. By his side, through thick and thin, was the ever faithful Tonto. The justice-seeking duo is set to hit the big screen next year with Armie Hammer as the Ranger and Johnny Depp as Tonto.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently tweeted the first official photo from the movie. Hold on to your Stetsons, kids -- this isn't your grandpa's Lone Ranger. Hammer looks about as one would expect. Dressed in black with a white hat. Wearing a mask. Looking heroic. You know, typical summer movie stuff.

Depp's look, meanwhile, is anything but expected. The 48-year-old icon is wearing black and white face paint in a zebra-like pattern. On top of his head: Not a hat, but rather a large black bird.

Of course, when it comes to Depp, it's usually best to expect the unexpected. After all, his Captain Jack revolutionized the pirate look with eyeliner and flamboyance. It's appropriate that he would take a few chances with his portrayal of the Native American hero.

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Little is known about the upcoming film, except that in this version, Tonto is the brains of the operation. The look on Depp's face seems to illustrates that plot twist. Depp's Tonto gazes at Hammer's Ranger, seemingly thinking, "Kimosabe, you do realize you're sitting backwards on your horse?"

Hammer may not be playing a genius, but he did have a revelatory moment when he put on the Lone Ranger's mask for the first time. Speaking with Matt McDaniel of Yahoo! Movies, Hammer said that the mask was formed to his face. Early versions dug into his mug. No word on whether Depp suffered from a similar problem with his bird-hat.

Johnny Depp talks to Yahoo! for 'Rango,' which just won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature: