Johnny Depp to build Hunter's cannon

WOODY CREEK, Colo., May 27 (UPI) -- "Entertainment Tonight" reports actor Johnny Depp is paying to build an elaborate cannon to blast the ashes of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson had wanted a cannon inside a tower resembling his fist to spew his ashes across his Colorado property. The shooting is scheduled for Aug. 20.

Depp portrayed Thompson in the 1998 adaptation of his book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and is reportedly getting ready to tackle the role again in the film version of Thompson's "The Rum Diary," "ET" said.

Thompson killed himself in February at his home in Woody Creek, Colo. He was 67.