# Good News for Fans of Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, and Benecio Del Toro **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129 "2003-09-22T17:21:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaPearl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DaPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaPearl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/1 "2003-09-22T17:21:20Z")
Depp is reprising his role as Thompson in an adaptation of Thompson’s The Rum Diary. Del Toro will be acting in it and directing it as well. Since Oscar Acosta’s character is not in the book, I’m not sure who Del Toro will play but, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![that.sound.again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@that.sound.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that.sound.again)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/2 "2003-09-22T17:38:58Z")
Hmm. If you added Terry Gilliam to the setup this might be worthwhile… No, seriously, this sounds interesting. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/3 "2003-09-22T17:51:25Z")
This is quite possibly the best news ever. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/4 "2003-09-22T18:10:27Z")
Loved Johnny Depp in that role! This sounds great, but as is observed here, I wonder if the strange feel of a Hunter S. Thompson book can be achieved by any director other than Terry Gilliam. Still, I’m looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/5 "2003-09-22T18:54:02Z")
I thought Johnny Depp was great as Thompson in _Fear and Loathing_, but did anyone else feel like he was borrowing heavily from Bill Murray’s performance s Thompson in _Where the Buffalo Roam_? Of course, the fact that they were obviously both borrowing heavily from Thompson himself doesn’t enter into it in the least. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/6 "2003-09-22T19:00:28Z")
I’ve never heard Thompson speak, but I did think Depp sounded like he was doing a Murray impersonation. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/7 "2003-09-22T19:48:51Z")
I thought Johnny Depp did a much better job playing Hunter Thompson than Bill Murray. He studied Thompson for six months, and lived with him in Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/8 "2003-09-22T20:17:37Z")
_Fear and Loathing_ made what, a buck and a quarter at the box office? (Thus doubling the take of _Where the Buffalo Roam_.) Who in the world is financing this? ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/9 "2003-09-22T22:10:10Z")
I wish they’d do “The Great Shark Hunt” instead with another actor doing the Yail Bloor part. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/10 "2003-09-22T23:17:50Z")
Yay! This is great news! I loved _Fear and Loathing_ and Johnny Depp. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/11 "2003-09-22T23:47:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve never heard Thompson speak, but I did think Depp sounded like he was doing a Murray impersonation. On the _Fear and Loathing_ DVD, there’s a vignette called “Hunter goes to Hollywood”. It shows Hunter Thompson getting prepared for his cameo appearance in _Fear and Loathing_, and shows some interaction 'tween Depp and himself. Absolutely identical. Flawless. Anything Murray did was a pale, pathetic shade of Depp’s performance. ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/12 "2003-09-23T00:23:25Z")
_Fear and Loathing_ has done pretty well on DVD in its various incarnations; the Criterion edition is pretty amazing. So even though the initial box office wasn’t necessarily great, there’s a following out there for the Thompson/Depp/Del Toro troika. I think the fact that Thompson hasn’t destroyed Johnny Depp with heavy artillery is a testament to the quality of his portrayal in _Fear and Loathing_. ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/13 "2003-09-23T05:32:57Z")
Hmm, Rum Diaries might be a little tough to stretch into a full film, but I’m going to watch this anyway. F&L was a sleeper, but it’s got a following. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-for-fans-of-hunter-s-thompson-johnny-depp-and-benecio-del-toro/203129/14 "2003-09-23T07:13:17Z")
PLus F&L only cost about $22 million to produce, IIRC. No idea how much was sunk into promoting it during it’s theatrical release, my WAG is not too much. But it has definitely gained a following on cable and home video. Even stupid little punks I work with, who have no clues about Thompson or his history - and who would think “Gonzo Journalism” was a magazine about the Muppets if they ever heard the term - have latched onto the movie.