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Johnny Depp played Dr. Hunter S. Thompson for Terry Gilliam, and has become the custodian for the good doctor’s cinematic estate. So when The Rum Diary came into being, Depp playing another ur-Thompson in Paul Kemp was likely the only way the film could be made. And here’s a trailer for the film, which is set to open October 28, and also features Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart and Giovanni Ribisi. Check it out.

The film was directed by Bruce Robinson, who directed the cult hit Withnail and I, and tried his way in Hollywood, but quickly bowed out after his film Jennifer 8 misfired. His return the big screen is certainly welcomed. Withnail is famous for the amount of drinking the characters do, so that seems of a piece with this.

The trailer sells drunk Depp, which is not a surprise. Perhaps they want fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (and this film is set in the Caribbean) to think this is the same sort of thing. But what the trailer is lacking is anything going on under the surface, and it seems unlikely that this is just a party movie. More than likely this is a bait and switch to get outsiders interested.

Are you sold on The Rum Diary?

I'm reading: Johnny Depp is Hunter S. Thompson (Again) in The Rum Diary Trailer