Just last week, we shared a new photo of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard looking professionally gorgeous in The Rum Diary. Now, just in time for the weekend, FilmDistrict and GK Film have released the first trailer for the film. It basically plays like a night of partying in reverse, kicking off with what looks to be a mountainous hangover and proceeding into some wild antics that include an excess of mini-booze bottles, automotive mishaps, errant toupees, beautiful tropical vistas, plenty of innuendo, flaming alcohol, a dollop of journalism, and no end of eccentricity.
The Rum Diary is based on the first novel by Gonzo journalist and American firebrand Hunter S. Thompson, so this is Depp's second turn as an onscreen surrogate for his late friend. The first time was as Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam's appropriately acid-soaked adaptation Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, back in 1998 when Depp was still a "weird" actor and not one of the most famous, bankable stars on Earth. This time, he plays Paul Kemp, a boozy freelance journalist who snags a job in Puerto Rico, where shenanigans promptly ensue.
This adaptation has been a passion project of Depp's for some time now, and it's nice to see that mincing about as Captain Jack Sparrow affords him the ability to get some interesting movies going, in addition to purchasing Caribbean islands. It's pretty much a certainty that Depp was able to approve the director on this film, and Bruce Robinson seems an inspired choice. The writer-director is still acclaimed for his odd, great little semi-autobiographical film Withnail and I, but hasn't directed a picture since 1992's Jennifer 8.
With Depp again playing a Thompson doppleganger, it's obviously his show, but the supporting cast is also an assembly of solid character actors who should play off each other nicely. There's the ever-reliable Aaron Eckhart, the consistently funny Michael Rispoli, the underappreciated Giovanni Ribisi, and the understated greatness of Richard Jenkins.
The Rum Diary is set to hit theaters on October 28th. Sign me up.
