Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

Johnny Depp apparently didn’t pirate enough of the Caribbean on the last three (or four) go-rounds–or of the acid he and homey Benicio Del Toro were clearly mainlining in the making of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas–because his next project will also be a Caribbean adventure (of sorts) and also based on the work of Fear and Loathing’s author, Hunter S. Thompson. Written in the early 60s while Thompson was working as a reporter for the English-language San Juan Star, Rum Diary was not published until 1998 and is one of only two novels (the other is still unpublished) attempted by the original gonzo journalist, who was more known for his (sometimes fictional) non-fiction. Shot on location in Puerto Rico in 2009, the film, adapted by Killing Fields screenwriter Bruce Robinson involves romantic entanglements, conspiracy, hallucinations (it is Hunter S. Thompson) and of course lots of and lots of rum. Promises to be both a classic in the venerable genre of white-man-runs-amok-in-tropical-country flicks and (maybe?) an indictment of the twisted realities of backyard colonialism. Hits the big screen on October 28th, watch the trailer below: