Screw "Pirates of the Carribean" 8 or Whatever, The Fear & Loathing Prequel "The Rum Diary" is the Johnny Depp Movie of 2011 Worth Ponying Up For

The blockbuster movie season is upon us after the ridiculously huge opening weekend for Fast Five and the release of Thor into a billion screens this weekend. In a few weeks, people will flock to see the latest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, a franchise that should have died after two films. What's the subtitle this time? On Stranger Tides. Someone gets paid to come up with these titles.

It is pure insanity that people continue to go see these movies. It's shit and it's not even that swashbuckling. Who woulda thunk a film based on a ride at Disneyland would require at least six parts? I know Johnny has to pay for that private island he owns but let Jack Sparrow die already. On the other hand, if he's going to make movies like The Tourist maybe he should just keep making those Pirates.

But On October 28, Johnny Depp might have a chance to redeem himself for the last few years. Reuniting with a now-deceased-collaborator in gonzo journalist extraordinaire Hunter S. Thompson in a film adaptation of The Rum Diary, Depp won't be reprising his role as Hunter himself, yet will undoubtedly he will invoke his spirit for the portrayal. NME recently published an interview piece with Depp about the project in which he reveled that he promised Hunter he's make the film.



Director Terry Gilliam, visionary master of the surreal from the previous Thompson based Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, will not be at the helm either. Bruce Robinson will be taking the chair, whose most famous credits are 20+ years ago in How To Get Ahead in Advertising and Withnial & I.

The premise of The Rum Diary (from Wikipedia)

Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) is an itinerant journalist who tires of New York and America under the Eisenhower administration and travels to Puerto Rico to write for The San Juan Star. Kemp begins the habit of drinking rum and becomes obsessed with the woman Chenault (Amber Heard).

Sounds about right. Throw in a role for Aaron Echhart and I know where I'll be on October 28. It's the same place that I won't be whenever that stupid Pirates waste of time drops and gobbles up a Titanic-sized load of cash. Even with Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane join the adventure, I'll pass. Well, I'll probably cave since I see every film but I WON'T LIKE IT. Damn you, Swearengen.


Related Links

The Rum Diary - IMDB
Aaron Eckhart Interview on The Rum Diary - Movieweb
The Rum Diary (novel) - Wikipedia