Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary" Finally Sees a Film Release

Renowned author Hunter S. Thompson wrote his novel "The Rum Diary" in 1961, but despite the writer's best efforts, the novel was not officially published until 1998. Oddly, the film adaptation of the novel took equally long in Hollywood years to produce, but finally fans of the novel will see the film release later this month.

In theaters on October 28, "The Rum Diary" is directed by Bruce Robinson and stars Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins. The R-rated film runs at 1 hour and 50 minutes, with Christopher Young composing the soundtrack.

Several production companies, including Shooting Gallery and SPi Films, wanted to make the film in 2000, but the task was never followed through. Thompson himself wrote a letter to the Shooting Gallery's then production executive, stating the following:

"I'm getting tired of this waterhead f*ckaround…It's like the whole Project got turned over to Zombies who live in cardboard boxes under the Hollywood Freeway... I have rounded up Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Brad Pitt, Nick Nolte & a fine screenwriter from England, named Michael Thomas…" (for the full letter click here)

Indeed, it seems the film went through as many possible actors as it did possible producers, including Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley. It wasn't until 2007 that Graham King bought the rights to the novel, and Bruce Robinson signed on to write the screenplay. In 2009, the project was finally given to Infinitum Nihil, Johnny Depp's production company, with financial support from King. In March 2009, filming began in Puerto Rico.

Thompson's novel was based on his experiences working as a reporter in Puerto Rico in 1959. He tells his story through protagonist Paul Kemp, a journalist who leaves New York behind to work for a San Juan newspaper. Here, Kemp straddles the thin line between inner morality an outer depravity, as he gets mixed up with several less-than-admirable characters on the rum-soaked streets of San Juan.

Depp is not exactly treading new territory with this role. He played Raoul Duke in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, also based on a Thompson novel. The question remains whether Depp can pull off playing 30-year-old Kemp, and not repeat the same performance as in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The question also remains whether the film will stay true to the novel overall, which so far seems unlikely by the looks of the trailer. However, I doubt Depp would produce and star in something that Thompson didn't approve of. Hopefully Robinson will surprise us.