The first official image from The Lone Ranger has been unveiled. The film had a very public rocky road to production, but filming is finally underway in New Mexico on the big budget adventure pic. This image gives us a look into what director Gore Verbinski has in store for the classic character, and unsurprisingly Johnny Depp seems to have crafted an entirely different Tonto. This iteration has some pretty intense face paint and, naturally, a dead bird on his head. Everyone's familiar with the stories about how Disney almost fired Depp for his take on Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean (also directed by Verbinski), so I’ll hold off judgment until we see this Tonto in action. For what it’s worth, I think Armie Hammer looks great as the title character. He's got that everyman quality and "reassuring sense of justice" feel down pat. Verbinski is a really solid director (Rango was one of the best films of 2011) so I'm pulling for The Lone Ranger to be a fun flick. Despite the ridiculous budget, he’s assembled an impressive cast for the film and I'm eager to see more.Hit the jump to check out the image. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson, and Helena Bonham Carter. The Lone Ranger opens May 31, 2013.Image courtesy of producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s Twitter.Here’s the synopsis for The Lone Ranger:

“The Lone Ranger” is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie 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.