From his many drug-fueled adventures to his rants against Richard Nixon, writer Hunter S. Thompson was nothing short of exciting.
While you can read about his exploits straight from the author himself, you’ll soon be able to explore his life and work in an entirely new medium: television. According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM Television has started development on an authorized biographical series that will chronicle the writer’s life, though the exact style and scope are still unknown.
The show, titled Fear and Loathing after Thompson’s 1972 classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, will be written by veteran screenwriter Davey Holmes, who has worked on Pushing Daisies, Shameless, and most recently, Epix’s adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel Get Shorty.
Although details are sparse at this point, Thompson’s life won’t, I imagine, be difficult to bring to the small screen: the author’s sixty-seven year life was packed with emotion and intrigue. After a troubled childhood, Thompson went on to write on a variety of topics, from the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club and the Kentucky Derby to his scorching treatises against then-nominee Richard Nixon. Those articles were later collected and published under the title Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72.
Thompson, in fact, is credited with developing the “Gonzo” school of New Journalism, which stresses lively first-person narration and emotion over objective, factual reporting. His work inspired the Counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. After struggling with health issues, Thompson committed suicide on February 20th, 2005.
And, of course, there is Thompson’s incredible drug use: the author took and wrote about a myriad of drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, LSD, rum, mescaline, and many more.
Here’s a short clip that goes over one day of his drug use:
This television series will not, however, be the first time Thompson’s work is brought to life. Bill Murray played the troubled author in the 1980 film Where the Buffalo Roam. Most notably, Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro starred in Terry Gilliam’s 1998 adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
For more on Hunter S. Thompson, take a look at his Top Ten ’60s Albums.
