The Rum Diary

is a film based on the of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. The film is directed by Bruce Robinson and stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Filming began in in March 2009. It is set to be released on October 28, 2011.

Amber Heard is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley in The Rum Diary

Amber Heard is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and for The Rum Diary

The Rum Diary tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp). Tiring 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 newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen’s financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down.

Hunter S. Thompson wrote the novel The Rum Diary in 1961, but the novel was not published until 1998. The independent production companies Shooting Gallery and SPi Films sought to adapt the novel into a film in 2000, and actor Johnny Depp was signed to star and to serve as executive producer. Nick Nolte was also signed to star alongside Depp. The project did not move past the development stage. During this stage, Hunter S. Thompson became so frustrated as to fire off an obscenity-laden letter calling the process a “waterhead fuckaround”.

In 2002, a new producer sought the project, and Benicio del Toro and Josh Hartnett were signed to star in the film adaptation. The second incarnation also did not move past the development stage. In 2007, producer Graham King acquired all rights to the novel and sought to film the adaptation under Warner Independent Pictures. Depp, who previously starred in the 1998 film adaptation of Thompson’s novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, was cast as the freelance journalist Paul Kemp. Amber Heard is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley.

Bruce Robinson joined to write the screenplay and to direct The Rum Diary. In 2009, Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil took on the project with the financial backing of King and his production company GK Films. Principal photography began in Puerto Rico on March 25, 2009. Composer Christopher Young has signed on to compose the film’s soundtrack.

Related content

MoreMovieDetails

All Posts
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Share this article: The Rum Diary

Facebook
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Email

MORE TOPICS

On location during the five-­week shoot, García’s key ally proved to be director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki. The Mexican cinematographer, nicknamed “Chivo,” earned Academy Awards for Birdman and Gravity, Because of Last Days in the Desert’s modest budget, Lubezki suggested using natural light whenever possible.

Last Days in the Desert

Ewan McGregor is Jesus—and the Devil—in an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis, setting for himself a dramatic test.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness is an science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams, written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, and produced by Abrams, Bryan Burk, Lindelof, Kurtzman, and Orci. It is the twelfth Star Trek film and serves as the sequel to 2009’s Star Trek.

Angel Has Fallen

Gerard Butler reveals a whole new side to one of his signature roles–Secret Service agent Mike Banning–in this explosive, rip-roaring thriller in which the fate of the nation rests on the very man accused of attempting to assassinate the President of the United States.

During childhood, Gyllenhaal had regular exposure to filmmaking due to his family's deep ties to the industry. As an 11-year-old he made his acting debut as Billy Crystal's son in the 1991 comedy film City Slickers.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jacob Benjamin “Jake” Gyllenhaal (born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten. He has appeared in diverse roles since his first lead role in 1999’s October Sky, followed by the 2001 indie cult hit Donnie Darko.

LIFE

LIFE explores the genesis of and layers behind Stock’s famous pictures, published the day before the Times Square premiere of East of Eden and James Dean’s overnight stardom.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an American science fiction film. The film is to be directed by Rupert Wyatt. This will be a new film in the Planet of the Apes series. James Franco is set to play a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s by testing on apes.