What's Going on With The Rum Diary?

Good question!

Although it doesn’t have a U.S. release date yet, or a trailer, fans anxiously waiting for The Rum Diary can whet their appetites over a few official production photos from the filming in Puerto Rico.

The Rum Diary, adapted from gonzo god Hunter S. Thompson’s first written novel, tells the story of Paul Kemp (based on Thompson), a hard-living freelance journalist working with a slew of madcap expats at a newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Here’s a timeline of the film came to be, from 1960 to the present day:

1960: Thompson moves to San Juan, Puerto Rico to write for a sports publication. His time in the Caribbean and experiences with reporters at the San Juan Star inspire him to write his second novel, The Rum Diary. Thompson attempts to sell the book along with his first novel, Prince Jellyfish, to little success.

1998: The Rum Diary is published. In 1999, Thompson told PBS host Charlie Rose he revisited the novel because of its “romantic notion…that and money.”

May 22, 1998: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the first film adaptation of a Thompson work, directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke (based on Thompson), premieres.

2000: The first incarnation of a Rum Diary adaptation is announced, with Depp executive producing and starring as journalist and Thompson proxy Paul Kemp. Nick Nolte is set to co-star; Shooting Gallery and SPi Films will distribute.

2002: The project acquires a new producer and new cast members Josh Hartnett and Benicio del Toro, who co-starred with Depp in Fear and Loathing.

Late 2003: Benicio del Toro signs on to direct The Rum Diary.

February 20, 2005: Hunter S. Thompson commits suicide at the age of 67. The Rum Diary project falls off the radar.

July 2007: Producer Graham King (The Departed) acquires the rights to The Rum Diary and reignites the project, with Depp still signed on to produce and star as Kemp. Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I) is tapped to write and direct.

March 25, 2009: The Rum Diary begins filming in Puerto Rico. Additional cast members include Amber Heard (Chenault), Aaron Eckhart (Sanderson) and Giovanni Ribisi (Moberg).

June 18, 2010: The first production photos from The Rum Diary surface.

September 24, 2010: UK premiere of The Rum Diary.

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