Long before Johnny Depp became a superstar with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, he was impressing film fans with his unique portrayals of memorable characters in films like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood, and, of course, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson drug-fueled pseudo-memoir directed by Terry Gilliam. Depp actually became a very close friend of Thompson’s during filming, and remained so until the end of Thompson’s life. Because of that friendship Depp set up an adaptation of Thompson’s early semi-autobiographical novel The Rum Diary, which Thompson wrote in 1959 but did not publish until 1998.
Interestingly enough, Depp actually produced and starred in a film version of The Rum Diary, which was adapted and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I) that finished filming in 2009. Since then, however, little has been said about the film actually getting a release. But Thompson fans can finally start planning for the next gonzo adventure: Deadline reports that during this week’s CinemaCon, FilmDistrict has picked up the film for an October 28 release. From the press release:
“The Rum Diary” tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp. Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman. Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ‘50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault and her fiancée Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.
Of course, Depp‘s character (the above-pictured Paul Kemp) is essentially a stand-in for the real-life Thompson, so we can probably expect more of Depp‘s fantastic impersonation of the man himself. The film also stars also stars Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi.
Looking forward to Johnny Depp returning to Thompson’s world? What’s your favorite line in Fear and Loathing? (Mine has to be “I was right in the middle of a fucking reptile zoo, and somebody was giving booze to these goddamn things. Won’t be long now before they tear us to shreds.”) Let us know in the comments below!
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