OMG! The trailer for The Rum Diary is finally out and… damn, this looks good. Johnny Depp stars once again as a Hunter S. Thompson-esque journalist in a film adapted from a book by Hunter S. Thompson based on the real adventures of Hunter S. Thompson. Call it Fear and Loathing in Puerto Rico. Obviously, the film is set in Puerto Rico, and it was filmed there too – a while ago. I feel like they filmed this two years ago…? Here’s the trailer:

I could have done without the bloody eyes, but other than that, it looks like a spectacular film. It’s nice to see Richard Jenkins get consistent work, and Aaron Eckhart is always a nice surprise. The chick is Amber Heard – she’s the lead in Eddie Cibrian’s new NBC show, The Playboy Club. Here’s the press release for the film:

Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, “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.

[Via Press Release]

The film is release in America on October 28, and I’m guessing that Johnny will be on-hand, supporting the film at some film festivals and such. Did you ever hear him talk about his relationship with Hunter? It’s pretty funny – they loved each other a lot, and when Hunter was alive, Johnny would go visit Hunter on his Colorado property often. Johnny also paid for Hunter’s 2005 funeral, which involved a 153-foot tall canon (which shot Hunter’s cremains into the sky). I tend to think that Johnny did this film not just because he liked the book, but because he misses his friend, and this is his love letter to Hunter.

Promotional photos from ‘The Rum Diary’.