Johnny Depp's "The Lone Ranger" starts filming

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer

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(CBSNews) Disney's new action adventure "The Lone Ranger" starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer has started shooting in the desert of New Mexico.

The film features Depp as Tonto and Hammer as his sidekick in a big-screen version of the 1949-1957 TV show of the same name.

Pictures: Johnny Depp

"I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That's stuck with with me," Depp told Entertainment Weekly about  watching the show when he was a little boy.

According to Disney, the film follows "Native American spirit warrior Tonto, [who] recounts the untold tales that transformed Jon Reid (Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice - taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption."

The movie is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and is directed by Gore Verbinski, who together with Depp, made the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. On Sunday, Verbinksi won an Academy Award for best animated feature for "Rango" which starred Depp, as well.

The film also features actors Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter, William Fichtner and Tom Wilkinson. "The Lone Ranger" is slated to open on May 31, 2013.