The Lone Ranger is a 2003 American western action television film. It was an attempt by The WB to revive the Lone Ranger franchise for a new generation. The character first appeared in 1933 in a radio show conceived either by WXYZ (Detroit) radio station owner George W. Trendle, or by Fran Striker, the show's writer. The radio series proved to be a hit and spawned a series of books (largely written by Striker), an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, comic books, and several movies.