After years of rumors and false starts, Johnny Depp will finally begin filming on The Rum Diary March 30th. Depp has been spotted this week in Puerto Rico sporting a ’60’s haircut. Here’s the plot synopsis with casting inserted:
1960: Divorced alcoholic and struggling novelist PAUL KEMP [Johnny Depp] decides to kick around San Juan until his ship comes in, working as a journalist for a daily newspaper that’s on its last legs, drinking gallons of rum and experimenting with LSD. With his new friend BOB SALA [Michael Rispoli] by his side, he becomes entangled in a corrupt hotel development scheme with a slick PR consultant named SANDERSON [Aaron Eckhart], and falls in love with Sanderson’s unattainable girlfriend, CHENAULT [Amber Heard].
Richard Jenkins will play LOTTERMAN, the man who runs the run-down newspaper where KEMP works.
Directed by Bruce Robinson, resurrected after a long absence since Withnail & I, and How to Get Ahead in Advertising in the late ’80’s. Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski (Sweeney Todd, Dark City, The Pirates of the Caribbean…)
Want to read the novel? It’s online here.
“Happy,” I muttered, trying to pin the word down. But it is one of those words, like Love, that I have never quite understood. Most people who deal in words don’t have much faith in them and I am no exception — especially the big ones like Happy and Love and Honest and Strong. They are too elusive and far too relative when you compare them to sharp, mean little words like Punk and Cheap and Phony. I feel at home with these, because they’re scrawny and easy to pin, but the big ones are tough and it takes either a priest or a fool to use them with any confidence.
– Paul Kemp, The Rum Diary
15 Responses for "Depp soon doing shots for The Rum Diary"
So will this be released in 2010? Or already 2009?
IMDb says 2010, but I’ve seen it being given a 2009 release date on other sites. Might depend on the strength (or weakness) of Public Enemies and the other competition this Fall.
I cannot wait for this. Withnail & I is one of the funniest films ever made, and I liked The Rum Diary very much. Bruce Robinson’s return to cinema after the Jennifer 8 fiasco is way overdue. What a great wit.
Wait! in the book it was not Sanderson’s girlfriend at all, are they altering the book’s story??
I haven’t seen the script, Me. In the novel Chenault is Yeamon’s girlfriend — another newspaper guy. Either this synopsis has it wrong, or some relationships have changed for the adaptation.
[edit: yep, I just checked IMDb and it looks like Yeamon didn't make the transition to film, and man are some IMDbniacs steamed about it. I'm not too happy either, but I try to remember that novels and the movies they inspire are two different things.]
Finally. I really can’t wait to see this movie.
But here, this should help cheer us up:
Seems like another great role for Depp. That is good to know. On a side note, the cast of “The Informers” also includes Kim Basinger, Billy Bob, Mickey Rourke and Winona Ryder. Impressive!
T.
The Informers has an impressive cast, but sad to say early scores are, um, Less Than Zero.
Andrew O’Hehir at Salon called it this year’s “designated disaster” at Sundance.
Scott Weinberg, Cinematical:
Film School Rejects:
It sounds awful enough to a big bundle of bungled fun. For me to poop on.
:[
/sad panda
nice pun, Ryan ;]
Glad to hear this project is finally going to see the light of day. Depp channeling Thompson has worked wonders in the past, so I’m excited to see him revisit this territory.
And if Robinson can pull off anything near the greatness of Withnail & I, then this could be something special.
I don’t see any way this doesn’t get released this fall, it won’t take that long to film and the editing can’t be that complicated or arduous. Is this finally Depp’s year? Or will it confuse the issue.
I can only hope that if this gets released this year alongside Public Enemies, this doesn’t hurt Depp’s chances for a nomination by canceling himself out. (See John Travolta in 1998 for Primary Colors and A Civil Action). Now that Kate Winslet has her Oscar, its time to focus on the next way-overdue thespian, which is a category Depp falls into neatly.
I can’t wait to see he (him?) and Aaron Eckhart working together.
This sounds good although I haven’t read the book. It also sounds like a great role for Depp. However, I kind of hope it gets a late 2010 release because I don’t want it messing up Depp’s chance for a nom/win this year. And if its released during awards season in ‘10 then it could set him up for a nom two years in a row.
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