The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films. The content will change as the film's release approaches and more information becomes available. |
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Terry Gilliam |
| Produced by | Samuel Hadida Amy Gilliam William Vince |
| Written by | Terry Gilliam Charles McKeown |
| Starring | Christopher Plummer Heath Ledger Tom Waits Johnny Depp Jude Law Colin Farrell |
| Cinematography | Nicola Pecorini |
| Editing by | Mick Audsley |
| Distributed by | Metropolitan Filmexport |
| Release date(s) | 2009 |
| Country | United Kingdom United States Canada France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is an upcoming American fantasy-adventure film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and screenwriter Charles McKeown. In the film, the leader of a traveling theater troupe who, through a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations. Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits and Heath Ledger star in the film, though the death of Ledger midway through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledger's role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell portraying physically changed transformations of Ledger's character as he travels through dimensions. The projected release date for this film is 2009.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Plummer) leads a traveling theater troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession.[1] Members of the troupe include a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Garfield) and a dwarf, Percy. Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil (Waits), who now comes to collect on the arrangement,[2] targeting the doctor's daughter (Lily Cole). The troupe, which is joined by a mysterious outsider named Tony (Ledger),[3] embark through parallel worlds to rescue the girl.[4]
[edit] Cast
- Christopher Plummer as Doctor Parnassus: The 1,000-year-old leader of a traveling theater troupe[5]
- Tom Waits as The Devil.[5]
- Lily Cole as Valentina: Doctor Parnassus's daughter.[4]
- Heath Ledger as Tony: A mysterious outsider, who joins the troupe.[3] When Ledger passed away in the midst of production, filming had been finished for scenes placed in the real world. With the rest of production focusing on filming scenes of the troupe's travels through a magical realm, Ledger's role was recast to have new actors portray his "physically transformed versions" in the realm.[6] Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell will portray the various magical transformations of Tony.[6]
- Andrew Garfield as Anton.[3]
- Verne Troyer as Percy.[3]
[edit] Production
Director Terry Gilliam and screenwriter Charles McKeown wrote the script for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,[5] their first collaboration since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).[1] Gilliam described the premise as a "fun and humorous story about the consequences of our personal choices in life",[2] and explained his goal for the film: "It's autobiographical. I'm trying to bring a bit of fantasticality to London, an antidote to modern lives. I loved this idea of an ancient traveling show offering the kind of storytelling and wonder that we used to get, to people who are just into shoot-em-up action films." The film received a budget of $30 million, considered unusually high for an independent production.[1] Production began in December 2007 in London,[5] at landmarks such as Battersea Power Station, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral.[1] Production for the remainder was planned to be done in Vancouver.[5]
On 22 January 2008, production of the film was disrupted following the death of Heath Ledger in New York City. Ledger's involvement had been a "key factor" in the film's financing.[4] Although production was suspended indefinitely by January 24,[7] according to Christopher Plummer, who plays Doctor Parnassus, Gilliam, determined to "salvage" the film, initially considered using computer-generated imagery to make Heath Ledger's character magically change his appearance, perhaps into another character, in order to keep his final work in the film, and, if the film were made, would dedicate it to Ledger.[8] Actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law were cast to replace Heath Ledger, portraying transformed versions of Ledger's character while traveling through a magical realm. With the role recast, filming resumed in Vancouver in March 2008.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Adam Dawtrey. "Gilliam Mounts 'Parnassus' in London", Variety, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ a b Stuart Kemp. "Ledger, Plummer join Gilliam's 'Doctor'", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-11-01. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Christopher. "Details about Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus'", Cinematical.com, 2007-10-09. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ a b c Adam Dawtrey. "'Parnassus' Team Faces Dilemma", Variety, 2008-01-23. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
- ^ a b c d e "Gilliam, Ledger Reteam for Film", Variety, 2007-10-31. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ a b c Adam Dawtrey. "Shooting resumes on 'Parnassus'", Variety, 2008-03-10. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ Christine Kilpatrick. "Production Suspended on Heath Ledger's Latest Movie", People, 2008-01-24. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ Natasha Stoynoff. "Show Will Go On for Heath's Last Movie, Says Costar", People, 2008-01-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at the Internet Movie Database
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at Allmovie
|
|||||||||||
