The Rum Diary may have its female lead. HR says Amber Heard is in negotiations to star opposite Johnny Depp in the film, based on the legendary Hunter S. Thompson’s much lauded book.

If cast, Heard would be Chenault, a free spirited and perplexing girl in Puerto Rico who figures prominently into the life of Johnny Depp’s alcoholic, reporter character Paul Kemp. It’s a juicy role, one which would require Amber to tackle some pretty dark and heavy stuff if they’re doing proper justice to the book. Chenault for instance, spends a lot of time naked. It’s essential to her character and it’s essential to the love triangle the develops between Chenault, her boyfriend Yeamon, and Paul Kemp. She also gets, rather willingly (or so it seems), gang-raped. Like I said, dark, heavy, and often skin-centric stuff.

Amber Heard looks the part, there’s no doubt about that. She’s exactly the sort of girl I find myself picturing, when Thompson rather vividly describes Chenault in the book. Does she have the acting chops to pull it off though? I don't know. Her most high-profile role was as the empty, throwaway girlfriend character in Pineapple Express. Does Amber have the balls, figuratively speaking, to take on a character like Chenault? If she gets the part, she’d better be ready to jump in with both feet or The Rum Diary is screwed.