Johnny Depp, Hunter S. Thompson Together Again

Depp Goes Gonzo Again: Johnny Depp will produce and star in The Rum Diaries, adaptation of early Hunter S. Thompson novel. In a happy bit of where-has-he-been news, Bruce Robinson (Withnail and I) will write and direct. Novel tells the story of a newspaper editor in fifties Puerto Rico and offers surprisingly little in the way of hallucinogenic drug experiences. [Variety]

Neil Young Back to the Drawing Board: Neil Young will write a graphic novel for Vertigo based on his Greendale album and film. Writer Joshua Dysart and artist Sean Murphy will collaborate with the songwriter. Young fanatics hope the singer will write graphic novels about all his albums; we’d like to see a visual representation of the 35 minutes of feedback that was Arc. [PW]

De La Guarda Team Back: Diqui James and Gaby Kerpel, who first brought guys-swinging-over-the-audience hit De La Guarda to New York, return to Daryl Roth Theatre this fall with Fuerzabruta. Show’s PR claims Fuerzabruta will “break free from the confines of spoken language and theatrical convention,� and will evoke “pure visceral emotion in a place where individual imagination soars.� Also, we hear the show will “cure cancer� and “everyone who goes to the show will be immediately Raptured up to Heaven.� [Playbill]

Diaz a Keeper: Cameron Diaz signs on to My Sister’s Keeper, Nick Cassavetes–directed adaptation of Jodi Picoult novel. Diaz will star as a mother who is taken to court by her 13-year-old daughter after she finds out she was conceived as a genetic match for her cancer-stricken sister. [Variety]

Haneke Sets Next: Michael Haneke, fresh off his English-language remake of Funny Games, will head back to Europe for his next film. The White Tape or the Teacher’s Tale will be set in a German village before World War I. We assume a caustic undercurrent of evil will be revealed beneath a placid exterior. Or maybe it’s a comedy! [Variety]

Metamorphosis on Film: Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye, Lenin!) will star as Gregor Samsa in a new film adaptation of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis; Stephen Rea and Anna Paquin co-star. Film will be directed by Limor Diamant, who previously produced FeardotCom, the movie that spawned the head-slapping Web address FeardotCom.com. [Variety]