During a chat with ComingSoon, Tony Scott revealed plans to produce a film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s first book Hells Angels, to be scripted by Steven Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana). Gaghan does good work, and hopefully Tony Scott will be too busy with other stuff to F this up.
“My dance card is so full, I’m so lucky,” he told us before listing off some of the projects that are at the front of his mind. “I’ve got ‘The Warriors,’ I’ve got ‘Hell’s Angels’ - I’ve owned the Hunter Thompson book for 12 years and Steve Gaghan is writing the script right now. I own all these great titles. Another one called ‘Lucky Strike’ about guys who repro aircraft. ‘Potsdamer Platz,’ which is by the guys who wrote ‘Sexy Beast.’ Now with all these movies that are ready to go. They’re scripted, they’re budgeted, and now I’ve gotta make them before I die. I’m getting old.”
Hell’s Angels is a great book (mostly because of the motorcycles and the gang rape), but Tony Scott last made The Taking of Pelham 123, and there isn’t a lot on his resume that inspires confidence (Domino, anyone?). All I’m saying is that if he starts making Hell’s Angels that look like this… well, I just might have to throw a hissy fit. And I can promise you, it will be embarrassing.
Bruce Robinson is writing and directing The Rum Diary, based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel, with Johnny Depp attached as the lead and Amber Heard as his slutty, er, free-spirited love interest. Just joining the cast is Richard Jenkins (as Depp’s boss at the newspaper), with Aaron Eckhart supposedly close to a deal.
“Eckhart would play the third element of the central love triangle, which also involves Depp and Heard. “Diary” is the tale of Paul Kemp (Depp), a washed-up, hard-drinking journalist in 1950s Puerto Rico. Eckhart would play Sanderson, a wealthy landowner who believes everything has a price and introduces Kemp to a different standard of living. [Yahoo]
Eckhart’s a perfect choice for Sanderson, a slick PR rep. Just look at that chin. I’d do anything it told me. What’s that, chin? Buy your detergent? Help stop gang violence? Make a skin suit out of the neighbor? Anything! I know you’d never steer me wrong! …You know what I’d do if I had that chin? Two chicks. Boosh.
Also available in HD over at Apple, this is the trailer for Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. It comes out July 4th. I’m not ashamed to say that I just wet myself. Okay, maybe a smidge ashamed.
"Dogs fuck the pope, no fault of mine."
