The book is based on an article Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone magazine . It was later made into a movie directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro . The novel first appeared as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971 , was printed as a book in 1972 , and was later adapted into a film of the same name in 1998 starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro .