Published at 7:30 AM on October 9, 2009

Terry Gilliam Finally Gets His Don Quixote

Terry Gilliam Finally Gets His <em>Don Quixote</em>

The unexpected early buzz for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, after a long, hard climb and the death of its star, may have emboldened its director. Terry Gilliam giddily let slip to the press that his once-shelved project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is now definitely back on track.

At the U.K. premiere of Parnassus in London on Tuesday (Oct. 6), Gilliam unexpectedly made his announcement. "We're up and running again, we've rewritten the script and finally got it back, the budget's come in... and I think we've found our Quixote!" For now, Gilliam is keeping mum on the identity of the star, but production is scheduled to begin next spring. Gilliam will direct Quixote based on a script that he co-wrote with Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).


The director's excitement is understandable. His struggles to get Quixote made have become the stuff of Hollywood lore. 

Gilliam first began production on the film nearly a decade ago, in August 2000. But health problems, inclement weather, sudden budget cuts and a host of other problems eventually shuttered what would have been the most ambitious and well-funded European film project to date. The story of Quixote's doomed production was so legendary, it prompted a documentary treatment in 2002 entitled Lost in La Mancha, which chronicled the troubled journey of Gilliam's embattled film. 

For several years, Gilliam has been indicating that Quixote may be resurrected. He had even cast Johnny Depp, also linked to the original, ill-fated production, in the main role. But there is no word yet if Depp is still attached to the project. Gilliam's announcement this week is the most solid confirmation yet that the production really is going forward.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is currently scheduled for release some time in 2011. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is due for limited theatrical release in the U.S. on Dec. 25, 2009.

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