Hunter S. Thompson wrote the novel "The Rum Diary" in 1961, but it was not published until 1998. The independent production companies Shooting Gallery and SPi Films sought to adapt the novel into a film in 2000, and Johnny Depp was signed to star and to serve as executive producer. Nick Nolte was also signed to star alongside Depp. The project did not move past the development stage. During this stage, the author became so frustrated as to fire off an obscenity-laden letter calling the process a "waterhead fuckaround".