The question on everyone's mind after the death of Heath Ledger in Jan. 2008 was assuredly: "Will 'The Dark Knight' still be released?" Thankfully the film was in post production when Ledger died. This was followed by another equally important, but less widely contemplated question: "What about Terry Gilliam?"
Terry Gilliam, is the man behind "Brazil" (one of my all time favorites), "The Fisher King," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," and the brilliant and humorous animation of the "Monty Python Series," among others. Unfortunately, he was in production with Ledger on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," when Ledger died.
Production has crawled to a standstill as the director decides how to play his cards. According to Variety, Ledger was a "key component in raising the finance" for the movie. It seems as though Gilliam is center stage in a catch-22.
This, however, is a position Gillaim is familiar with. During the 2001 shooting of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," lead actor Jean Rochefort was unable to complete filming after contracting an illness (IMDB); the film subsequently fell apart never to be released. Also, Gilliam reportedly had two projects, "Good Omen" and "The Watchmen," turn sour after script troubles (IMDB).
Poor Terry Gilliam. Such a fine director with impeccably bad luck. If "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" ever does get released, I suggest making the trip to the theaters to see it for two reasons. First, Gilliam's filmmaking is not to be missed. He has a wonderful eye for the fantastic. Secondly, see it because the guy could use the support. With such a shortage of cinematic visionaries these days, it's a cardinal sin not to make it to the theaters when they do release a film, or at least it should be.
(Photo taken from www.cinemastrikesback.com)
3 comments:
Some people are saying Johnny Depp is going to take over for Ledger, but I don't know how true that is.
I really want to see some of these films; I'm not very familiar with Gilliam's work. I hope this latest film doesn't get cancelled. Nice post.
Man, I looove me some Gilliam, but "bad luck" is right. It's a shame, too - I was really looking forward to Doctor Parnassus.
Also, it seems that "The Watchmen" is cursed as a property, haha. Folks have been trying to adapt it to the screen for decades, so... maybe it's only a matter of time?
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