Hunter S. Thompson fans have been patiently waiting over a decade for The Rum Diary to reach the big screen. (In fact, the adaptation process, which began in 2000, was so frustrating that the author himself coined the phrase "waterhead fuckaround" to describe the slow studio proceedings.) But The Rum Diary is finally in the can with a fall release date thanks to English writer and director Bruce Robinson, Thompson's long-time friend Johnny Depp and Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil. Let's take a look at the trailer!
Supplanting Thompson for the second time onscreen (the first time was in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Depp plays Paul Kemp, a booze-loving journalist who travels to Puerto Rico on assignment. As in the novel, movie Kemp becomes involved with a beautiful young woman (Amber Heard), squabbles with his editor (Richard Jenkins) and enjoys copious drunken, sometimes drug-induced and violent, revelry. Unlike the novel though, Robinson seems to have given Kemp a hero-making journey. Instead of a directionless writer soaking up the Puerto Rican rays and rum, Depp's Kemp is on a mission to take down a corrupt businessman (Aaron Eckhart). This seems a little like gonzo sacrilege but I'm excited to see The Rum Diary either way.
The Rum Diary finally reaches theaters October 28.
VERDICT: Hunter S. Thompson + Depp + a Bejeweled Tortoise = A Must See.