Growing up, I was a huge Hunter S. Thompson fan. Take from that what you will, but I devoured everything the man wrote. Like many, it was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that first grabbed me. It’s an incredible book, and the movie, from director Terry Gilliam and starring Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke, was as close to a visual representation of a book like this could probably be on film. Still, I was surprised at how low its Rotten Tomatoes score is (currently 51%), but thinking about, I get it.

I Think Fans Of The Book Fans May Not Be Fans Of The Movie

I’m not someone who gets super pedantic with book-to-screen adaptations. It’s hard to take the story from one medium and adapt it to another. Changes have to be made, and I’m sympathetic to the choices directors have to make. I think Gilliam and company did the very best they could with Feath and Loathing, but I still don’t love the movie. Thompson's writing is just that hard to adapt.

That’s not their fault; it’s really no one’s fault. I just love the book so much that there was no way the film was going to stack up for me. By the time the movie was released in 1998, I’d already read the book multiple times, and I argued at the time that there was no way to make a movie that would do justice to the manic nature of the story, as so much of it was in Duke’s mind. I don’t think I’m alone in this, either. I think plenty of people who loved the book didn’t love the movie because of this.

Interestingly, it was just announced that Depp will be adapting another of my favorite books, The Master and Margarita, which I've also long held can't work on film. We'll see how that goes.

Some Who Aren’t Fans Of The Book Don’t Seem To Like It Either

Judging by some of the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, those who dislike this classic Vegas movie aren’t fans for other reasons. It’s too druggy, too chaotic, or it’s too disjointed. All of that is by design, of course. The book is very much all three of those things. Thompson's mindset was very much like that, too, both in his writing and in real life, if the stories are to be believed (and I certainly believe them). It’s a chaotic movie because it’s a chaotic story; there is no other way to tell it.

This all leaves the movie as a very polarizing one. Not only does its 50% score reflect that, but people either love it or completely hate it. It doesn’t garner middling reviews. I’ve talked to people who call it their favorite movie of all time, and others who say they’ll never watch it again, and get squeamish just thinking about it. You can see that in the reviews. It’s even been called the “worst Terry Gilliam movie ever,” though I think now that moniker belongs to The Brothers Grimm.

Terry Gilliam is an iconoclast, and so is Hunter S. Thompson. The combination of the two might not work for everyone, so I get it. For me, though, the movie will never match the book’s intensity and insanity, but I fully recognize that only Gilliam could have come close to making a great movie from it.

At this point in his long and successful career, Christopher Meloni is likely most recognizable to general audiences for his lengthy stint(s) as Eliott Stabler in the world of both Law & Order: SVU and its spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime, whose fifth season shifted to Peacock from NBC. Though we’ll be waiting until the 2025 TV schedule to see the character’s return, the actor himself shared a bunch of fun facts about his career and personal life, including the celeb that left him the most starstruck.

Considering he’s portrayed Stabler for more than 15 years at this point, combined with more limited roles in dramas such as Oz, The Handmaid’s Tale, Pose and others, it might be easy for the actor’s fanbase to forget just how big comedy has been across Meloni’s career. But we’re talking about Wet Hot American Summer’s Gene Jenkinson, whose return for Netflix’s spinoff series provided the funniest First Day of Camp moment by far. So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that he was most taken aback by a comedy icon.

Meloni gave US Weekly the rundown on a variety of topics, including the early-career moment when he met and worked for Monty Python’s animation genius-turned-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. In his words:

As a huge fan of Meloni's comic book adaptation Happy, as well as his hilarious efforts in everything from Harley Quinn to Wonder Showzen to Veep, I love hearing that he was able to have that kind of "meet your heroes" moment so early on during his rise in Hollywood. It was only his third film, following comedies Junior and Clean Slate the year before, and I have to imagine it was a wild transition to go from Ivan Reitman to Terry Gilliam.

I think it's safe to say Meloni and Gilliam hit it off well enough. Three years later, the actor popped up in a hilarious supporting role as hotel clerk Sven in the director's next cinematic ordeal, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. That said, it was the last time they worked together to date, but Meloni clearly still thinks highly of the visionary filmmaker if Gilliam remains the go-to celeb that left him most starstruck.

While I'll forever side with Monty Python's Flying Circus being my favorite effort from any of the six troupe members' careers, both Brazil and 12 Monkeys are 100% elsewhere in my Top 5., with Fawlty Towers and Life of Brian filling out the other two. sloths. Not that anybody asked, but still.

The Actors Christopher Meloni Looked Up To The Most

Beyond giving big props to Terry Gilliam, Christopher Meloni also addressed the on-screen performers that made a big impact on him in his youth, and most impressed him with their respective talents. As he put it:

How amazing would it be to have De Niro, Day-Lewis, Slater and Meloni all co-starring in a movie directed by Terry Gilliam? I'm going to dump a bunch of pennies into a wishing well to try and make that happen.

With the promoted Dean Norris returning for more brotherly love within the Stabler family, Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 will arrive for fans with Peacock subscriptions at some point in early 2025, and we're hoping to get more updates soon.

While not exact, one way to gauge a comedy movie’s popularity is by its number of familiar and oft-repeated lines of dialogue, and by those metrics alone, Monty Python and the Holy Grail would possibly be the most well-regarded film in the universe. (Even laymen martians can sing along to “Camelot Song,” I’m sure.) Attempting to list all of the 1975 release’s best quotes and moments might seem like a fool’s errand, but it’s a challenge that befits a worthy knight such as yours truly.

Having created one of the best sketch shows of all time, the six genius behind Monty Python — Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin — went on to tackle the King Arthur mythos with all the irreverence, silliness, surreal moments, and historical wit that fans already came to expect from the gents. And thus, all manner of grail-shaped comedy gold was made.

Moose And Llamas In The Opening Credits

Rather than starting with traditional opening credits, directors Terry Gilliam and the late Terry Jones opted to go the opposite direction by running the end credits first, while also throwing some animal-related chaos into the mix. As soon as the unidentified narrator brings his sister up, all bets are off, and the text jokes build to quite the colorful crescendo.

The First Time Audiences See Coconuts Instead Of Horses

Perhaps Holy Grail’s most lasting and universally beloved gag is the fact that its characters are never seen riding on horseback, but instead are galloping around while clapping coconut halves together to mimic the sound of horses’ hooves. Michael Palin is credited with the cost-saving idea, and it's one that never loses its charm.

“Are You Suggesting Coconuts Migrate?”

Arthur’s first attempt to meet with fellow leaders is thwarted by a soldier who takes issue with Patsy’s having access to coconuts despite not having traveled to a non-tropical locale, and also takes issue with the idea that your average swallow, or small group of them, would be able to carry the fruit across large distances. Now if we’re talking African swallows…

“I Feel Happyyy! I Feel Happyyy!”

While “Bring out yer dead!” is one of Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s most popular lines and scenes, it’s the unabashed optimism and hope emanating from the not-dead-yet man that wins out. Alas, that happiness is soon followed by a big klonk to the noggin, and his happiness is no more.

King Arthur Meeting 37-Year-Old Dennis

Graham Chapman’s King Arthur soon discovers how quickly assumptions can land him in unwanted conversations when he wrongfully misgenders and mis-ages working class thirtysomething Dennis — “I’m only 37, I’m not old.” — and quickly finds it impossible to assert his authority with those who see right through it and the entire system.

“Listen, Strange Women Lying In Ponds Distributing Swords Is No Basis For A System Of Government.”

An idea that sparked a political movement, at least in jokey meme form, Dennis’ unique description of the mythical Lady of the Lake and others mentioned soon after are perfect examples of the Python troupe’s A+ writing skills and ability to one-up their own jokes.

The Entire Black Knight Scene

You shall have no quarrel with this pick, good Sir Reader, for the Black Knight is possibly the most widely known of any character beyond Arthur himself, from his ceaseless defiance — “Just a flesh wound.” — to his admirable ability to lose limbs and keep on ticking. One wonders how he would have paid off his final threat to bite Arthur’s legs off without any hands to lift his helmet’s visor.

The Great And Logical Witch Debate

If only all scientific, religious, and moral debates could be solved by figuring out what weighs the same as something else. It probably wouldn’t work very well for society, and definitely not for women in this case. As such, it’s probably best that morons like these aren’t in charge of anything.

“If She Weighs The Same As A Duck, She’s Made Of Wood”

In the scheme of things, accusing someone of witchery for being made of wood and weighing the same as a duck is kind of on par with the supernatural-esque accusations that women suffered in days past. It’s also amusing to think that this entire argument could be stunted by asking, “What sized duck?”

Sir Not Appearing In This Film

The already excellent storybook aesthetic is possibly best remembered for Sir Robin’s extended description, but its most adorable, logic-thwarting addition is this cutie pie’s appearance. Or would it really be a non-appearance?

“It’s only a model.”

Meta-dialogue before meta-dialogue was the norm, Patsy’s comment hilariously speaks to the reality of the production itself, which only had access to so many real-life castles, and had to make do with models for other on-screen examples. The fact that Patsy is shushed for spreading cinematic life hacks is just as hilarious as the reveal.

The Camelot Song

One of the most beloved tunes in all of the Monty Python troupe’s musical oeuvre, “The Camelot Song” is a jaunty toe-tapper that rhymes Camelot with “diaphragm a lot” and “push the pram a lot.” It’s probably where I first learned what a pram even is.

The French Taunting Knight’s Whole Vibe

The Holy Grail character who most deserves his own soundboard, John Cleese’s French knight speaks only in quotable lines, such as “I fart in your general direction," and “Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries.” Which is the burn to end all burns for anyone whose father did smell of elderberries.

“Um, look, if we built this large wooden badger…”

The Trojan Horse may have been a historical hallmark, but the Trojan Rabbit never stood a chance. So it's no mystery why Sir Bedevere's follow-up suggestion for building another hollowed-out mammal immediately hit the rubbish bin.

The Fact That The Movie Is Set In Modern Times

Perhaps the most surprisingly element about this entire movie is the sporadically referenced subplot that reveals fairly early on (around the 32-minute mark) that everything that's happening with King Arthur's quest is actually taking place in the modern day, and not so many centuries ago. Which certainly makes one wonder how characters such as Dennis and others are still around in their current capacities.

Sir Robin’s Entrance Song

Echoing his storybook accolades, Sir Robin's introduction song (performed by Neil Innes) is a hilarious laundry list of the knight's least courageous exploits and shames. It sounds particularly painful to have one's "kneecaps split" or "bowels unplugged" or "bottom burned off." I guess he can't be fully blamed for being scared away.

“Mine is Zoot. Just Zoot.”

Upon arriving at Castle Anthrax, Michael Palin's gallant knight introduces himself as "Sir Galahad the Chaste," which sparks Carol Cleveland's alluring character Zoot to offer up her more limited greeting, indicating where the rest of the scene is heading.

The Knights Who Say Ni

Ni! Ni! Ni! Ahem, this randomly absurd batch of characters is one of the many unique pleasures of watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Possibly also some of the least historically accurate characters in any Arthurian tale, but all is forgiven.

“What, The Curtains?”

Terry Jones' Prince Herbert just wants to sing, despite others' disapproval, but he also gets one of the film's easy-to-miss jokes. As the Lord of Swamp Castle attempts to make his son appreciate his future kingdom, Herbert assumes his father is only gesturing towards the window curtains. Amelia Bedelia would have also been fooled.

The Guard Who's Terrible With Directions

A scene that speaks to the comedic acting wizardry of these actors, this overtly farcical exchange would have been far more cringeworthy in other films, but it's the jubilant loyalty of Idle's dimwitted guard that makes this moment so memorable.

Sir Lancelot's Time-Stretched Run To The Castle

One of many Holy Grail moments that breaks with reality for the sake of nailing a joke, Sir Lancelot's extended advance towards Swamp Castle very obviously cuts back to the same piece of footage repeatedly, which makes his sudden (and violent) arrival at the door all the more hilarious.

Sir Lancelot Instantly Regretting The Massacre

Sir Lancelot completely destroys the Swamp Castle wedding, injuring a wide variety of its attendees, under the belief that he is saving a damsel in distress. But upon realizing his plight was all for Prince Herbert's hand, Lancelot is hilariously struck by an instant heap of regretful guilt, if not genuine remorse.

Sir Bedevere Messing Up 'Ni'

There's something weirdly charming about Sir Bedevere's naivety, and his seeming obliviousness to it, which is arguably showcased best during his botched attempt to threaten Bee Duffell's Old Crone, sternly mispronouncing "Ni" as "Nuuuu." He got it eventually, though.

“There are some who call me…Tim.”

Someone whose existence is all the more questionable by the end of the movie, John Cleese's teleporting and fireball-blasting conjurer is as wonderfully random and unique as other characters. But don't expect this magical mustachioed man to boast a memorable moniker. He's just Tim the Enchanter.

The White Rabbit Mayhem

The Holy Grail is hard to track down given its potential to look like a completely normal chalice. Similarly, the beast guarding the cave could easily be mistaken for a cutesy-wootsy bunny-wunny, instead of a trespasser's worst nightmare albeit the cutest possible version of that nightmare.

How To Use The Holy Hand Grenade

It's a good thing being a legendary king doesn't necessitate the ability to consistently count correctly, or else King Arthur would be a goner. But I guess I can't blame him for misunderstanding the loony instructions that come with using Brother Maynard's holy hand grenade.

Castle Aarrgh

I still can't help but laugh thinking about Joseph of Arimathea being fatally interrupted while scrawling directions onto a cave's wall, and still choosing to physically write out his final exclamation of "Aarrgh" to end the message. This may not be the first instance of this specific kind of textual gag, but it's possibly the best. Plus, his directions were right on the money, even if it wasn't what Arthur and Bedevere were hoping for.

The Knights Surviving The Beast Via Animator Health Problems

The animations in Monty Python don't often intersect with the live action, but when they do, it produces some A+ comedy. Like the knights' story of fighting - or running away from - the legendary Black Beast. You have to wonder if it's another creative way around a limited budget.

Sir Robin's Exit At The Bridge

Having had his reputation dumped on throughout the movie, Eric Idle's Sir Robin attempted to gain some clout at the bridge, believing he'd be able to swiftly answer the keeper's questions without issue. Naturally, that didn't happen, and he was sent screaming into the smoky depths for not knowing the capital of Assyria. (It's Assur.)

The Intermission

I can only imagine what early viewers must have thought upon watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail whenever the "Intermission" title card and music popped up after the scene at the bridge. Considering those kinds of breaks are usually limited to longer stage performances and films whose lengths justify mid-action relief, there had to have been some confusion and at least a few people who warily attempted to take a bathroom trip before the next scene suddenly started.

The Return Of The French Taunters

Just when King Arthur and Sir Bedevere probably thought it was safe to stop worrying about being endlessly ridiculed by one or more Frenchman, then came the no doubt disappointing discovery that Castle Aarrgh wasn't home to the long-sought Holy Grail, but rather a bunch of French knights who had no interest in appeasing their English visitors. They did have some fun zingers, though, including calling the knights “Tiny brained wipers of other people’s bottoms.”

The Lack Of A Proper Ending

Though occasionally seen as a detriment, Holy Grail’s timeline-shifted ending remains one of the more baffling comedy conclusions in any medium and is more in line with a Flying Circus sketch than a film. But what better way to end a movie about a mythical item than with stark realism and three minutes of darkness where the closing credits would usually be? In that way, it’s downright perfect.

Monty Python is one of the longest-running and most successful sketch comedy teams in history, but for people who have spent so much time together, it’s not surprising to learn that they don’t always get along. Earlier this year we saw a rift forming between Eric Idle and the rest of the Python team, and there’s evidence that the battle may still be ongoing.

Eric Idle made public comments last February about the family member of one of his Monty Python team members, which the rest of the group publicly disagreed with. While it’s unclear just what the relationship is between the four remaining Pythons, there may still be some bad blood.

Eric Idle Was Missing From A Recent Python Reunion 

Things have been quiet on the Monty Python front recently but an image posted by John Cleese may indicate that the current fight isn’t over. He posted a picture to Twitter of three Pythons, Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin, all together and smiling celebrating Palin’s birthday. Eric Idle is nowhere to be found, and his absence is not mentioned in the post.

Now to be fair, there are any of a thousand reasons why Eric Idle might not be in the photo outside of the recent unpleasantness. I’ve missed two good friends' birthday parties in the last two months because I had already made plans to be out of town that could not be changed. Something similar certainly could have happened here.

Of course, it’s also possible that Idle wasn’t invited. Idle has been known to get testy on social media, famously getting mad at people who gave him a hard time on Twitter for not recognizing Epcot's Figment from the Disney World attraction they share.

Money and family are two things that can certainly cause people to hold a grudge, and this issue includes both. Idle and the rest of the Pythons may be still in disagreement over how best to handle the group’s financial situation.

What Eric Idle Said About Monty Python’s Management 

This all began in early February 2024 when Eric Idle made comments on Twitter that, despite what some may believe, he wasn’t sitting on a pile of money as a result of his various, largely successful, Python endeavors. He blamed a “Gilliam child” for the situation, implying that Holly Gilliam, the current manager of Monty Python assets, was bad at her job.

John Cleese then essentially subtweeted Idle, not responding directly, but posting that he believed that Holly Gilliam was good at her job, calling her “efficient, clear-minded, hard-working.” He also stated that the other two living Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, agreed with him, not Idle. Graham Chapman died back in 1989. The five remaining Pythons performed together as recently as 2014. Terry Jones passed away in 2020.

Hopefully, they will find a way to work through it. Monty Python's Flying Circus was one of the best sketch comedy shows because of what these guys were able to accomplish together and as a fan, it’s sad that they may not be getting along.

12 Monkeys is a time-traveling sci-fi flick that revolves around visitor from the future James Cole, played by Bruce Willis, and mental patient Jeffrey Goines, played by Brad Pitt. Even though the film went on to be a critical and financial success, and even netted an Academy Award nomination, Willis wasn’t director Terry Gilliam's first or even second choice to lead the movie.

In an alternate timeline, there could have been some other big names of the '90s in his place. The director recently revealed that he had his pick of the litter when it came to choosing a lead for 12 Monkeys, and he turned down some serious A-list talent. In Terry Gilliam's words:

While celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 12 Monkeys premier with Inverse, Terry Gilliam discussed his difficulties in selecting a suitable lead for the film. After turning down both Tom Cruise and Nic Cage (in the mid ‘90s, no less) Gilliam struggled to find someone who fit the bill of James Cole. The decision to go with Bruce Willis didn’t come easily, according to Terry Gilliam. He explained:

Despite the director's oral fixation, Bruce Willis was eventually hired for the part, but the casting issues didn’t end there. The 12 Monkeys lead issue was complicated even further, as Brad Pitt also wanted the role of James Cole, but only after Bruce Willis had been signed on. This left Terry Gilliam in a tight spot, as he still wanted Pitt involved. Fortunately for both parties, he was able to convince Pitt stay on the project as fast-talking Jeffrey Goines, but not without reservation. The director stated:

I think it’s safe to say that he was happily proven wrong, as Brad Pitt earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, a category he recently won, for his performance.

While some may consider 12 Monkeys to be one of the best sci-fi films of all time, there’s no doubt that the film would have been completely different if Tom Cruise of Nicolas Cage had taken the helm. Uh-oh, now I’m thinking about alternate timelines again. For those of you who are interested in more recent sci-fi film,s be sure to check out our list of the best sci-fi films of 2020.

This article contains major spoilers for the conclusion of Netflix's The Irishman. Please wait to read any further if you have yet to see the film.

If you found yourself checking your watch near the end of The Irishman, you’re not alone. Though Martin Scorsese’s latest film was a hit with critics, many film fans found it to be a bit too long -- including Terry Gilliam.

The renowned director recently told IndieWire that he was one of the few who actually got to see The Irishman in theaters, at the London Film Festival. And while he mostly enjoyed it, he admitted his wife fell asleep during the course of the film’s three-plus hour run time. Terry Gilliam also wasn’t exactly thrilled with the film’s ending:

Like Terry Gilliam, some fans have found multiple issues with The Irishman. There was the debate over whether the film should have a wider release, despite being produced by Netflix. Some feel that the movie, which follows real-life alleged hitman Frank Sheeran and his relationship with Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, is just too damn long. Others have complained that Anna Paquin, who plays Frank’s aforementioned daughter Peggy, is woefully underused. And still more have taken issue with Martin Scorsese’s use of cutting edge de-aging technology so that the film’s stars, including Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, could play their characters over the course of several decades. Terry Gilliam had an opinion on that, too:

Terry Gilliam also made headlines for his controversial criticism of Black Panther. As for The Irishman, despite the lackluster fan response, it’s still a top awards season contender. It earned coveted Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, plus nods to Al Pacino and Joe Pesci (though, surprisingly, not Robert De Niro). And it’s expected to have a strong showing when the Academy Award nominations are released on January 13, 2020.

The Irishman is currently streaming on Netflix.

First it was Martin Scorsese who had some pretty rough things to say about Marvel films, comparing them to theme park rides and in the process insulting both Marvel movies and theme park rides. Then Francis Ford Coppola came out in support of Socrsese's statements, and in the process took the films, and by extension the whole popular superhero genre, to task with even harsher language.

Now Terry Gilliam, the director of 12 Monkeys and Brazil, is taking his turn to tell us what he really thinks of Marvel, and, somewhat unsurprisingly, he doesn't think much of it at all. Gilliam was asked by Indiewire about his take on the topic, and Gillaim is certainly not without his opinions on the matter. Even a movie like Black Panther, which was largely praised and even received a Best Picture nomination, isn't above reproach according to Gilliam...

While a lot of people praised Black Panther for its diversity, Terry Gilliam apparently isn't buying it. He doesn't believe that the movie deserves the credit that it received, either simply because it was a superhero movie to begin with, or because he doesn't think Marvel actually put the work in that the studio got credit for.

Terry Gilliam says that one of his big problems with superhero movies is that in them, anything is possible, and in his opinion, it's "the limitations that make life interesting." Because there are no limitations in Marvel movies, they're just not interesting to him. Gilliam also feels tat superhero movies ultimately send the wrong message.

Ultimately, Terry Gilliam's comments are along the same lines as those from Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. The idea is that there is something that's simply lacking in superhero movies by their nature. Scorsese said they weren't cinema, and part of how he defined that term was the taking of risks. Whether you're talking about risks on screen or off, there's clearly a feeling from these directors that superhero movies lack both.

Terry Gilliam has been trying to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote for a very long time. Following, numerous delays and production shutdowns, it looks like the movie might actually be happening. There's actual footage of an actual movie and everything. The movie that was started, but failed to be completed almost two decades ago now has a very real trailer. Check it out.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote stars Jonathan Pryce as the titular character, or more specifically, somebody who believes he is the titular character. Adam Driver co-stars as a man named Toby who is a modern-day advertising executive who the old man mistakes for his sidekick Sancho Panza. However, as the trailer shows, the film will actually jump between the modern day and 17th century Spain, so things, in traditional Terry Gilliam fashion, are going to get a little weird.

It's more than a little amazing that this trailer even exists. Terry Gilliam has been trying to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote for two decades now. The first attempt, that starred Jean Rochefort as Quixote and Johnny Depp as Toby/Sancho actually went into full production back in 2000 but was instantly beset with location problems and Rochefort turned out to be injured and unable to film. What was intended to be a behind-the-scenes feature on the production instead became the documentary film Lost in La Mancha, which chronicled the doomed production. Since then, Gilliam has attempted to make the movie several more times and has had names like Robert Duvall, John Hurt, and Ewan MacGregor all attached to star at various points. However, something, often an inability to find financing, likely due to the $15 million insurance pay out the first production received, always shelved the project.

It's a testament to Terry Gilliam's dedication to this idea that he never let it go entirely. Now that dedication has born fruit, as the movie is finally actually going to be released. And what's more, it looks good. It's got a visual style which is a hallmark of Terry Gilliam's work that is nearly always impressive. Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce look to be a strong pair on screen. Pryce's ability to be funny is underrated and Driver is a perfect straight man.

One wonders just how different this movie would have been if one of the previous attempts had been successful. Seeing John Hurt on the horse in place of Jonathan Pryce isn't all that hard. Seeing Johnny Depp in place of Adam Driver feels like it would have been an entirely different movie.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote doesn't have an official release date, other than it being expected to debut this year. At this point, a release date is just a detail. The movie has been made, and that's what's really important.

Adam Driver is developing a wonderfully eclectic resume. While most movie fans will now forever know him as Star Wars’ Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, he’s also made sure to push his acting talents with roles in a variety of smaller films, including Frances Ha, Inside Llewyn Davis, Midnight Special, and While We’re Young. Clearly no project is too intimidating for the actor, because Adam Driver has now signed on to replace Johnny Depp in Terry Gilliam’s Don Quixote film, which the director has been trying to get made for nearly 20 years. 

Variety has revealed that filming on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will begin in October with Adam Driver taking on the role of Toby Grisoni, while The Quantum Of Solace’s Olga Kurylenko will play the wife of Toby’s boss. Terry Gilliam admitted that replacing Johnny Depp with Adam Driver has led to some changes to the character, though.

Rather excitingly, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will also include a Monty Python reunion, as Michael Palin has been cast as a villager who believes he is Don Quixote. But that’s merely a footnote in this story, because it now finally looks as though we’ll get to see what Terry Gilliam has been dreaming up for close to 20 years. It’s believed that Terry Gilliam has been given a $19 million budget to play with on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and production will start as early as June. The film will take place in Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands, and it’s hoped that it will be finished by Christmas. 

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will see Toby (Adam Driver) returning to the small Spanish village where he studied and previously made a film based on Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. Unfortunately, he’s now a jaded young advertising executive looking for inspiration in his own life. Toby soon gets caught up in an epic adventure back through time, which sees him tackling all kinds of individuals, including giants and knights.

As usual, Terry Gilliam announced that work will begin on his latest iteration of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in an honest, self-deprecating, and hilarious manner, as he told a Cannes press conference, “I want to get this film out of my life so I can get on with the rest of my life.”

Between 1998 and 2014 Terry Gilliam has made seven attempts to get the film produced. The first, which would have been led by Johnny Depp, was sabotaged over financial difficulties, equipment being destroyed by a flood, and the illness of actor Jean Rochefort. These struggles made up the famed 2002 documentary Lost In La Mancha. 

Since then, Robert Duvall, Ewan McGregor, John Hurt, and Jack O’Connell have each been attached to the film, but funding has always collapsed. Additionally, Hurt’s diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in September 2015 suspended filming again. 

There now looks to be no turning back, with Terry Gilliam admitting that he’s adjusted the script to match the modern world and to suit Adam Driver. We’ll finally get to see The Man Who Killed Don Quixote at some point in 2017. Well, hopefully. 

Between the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe, and DC’s about-to-blow-up Extended Universe, superhero movies have become ubiquitous at the movie theater these days. As you might expect, this comes with some backlash. Steven Spielberg’s recent comments on the genre made headlines, and now it’s Terry Gilliam’s turn to chime in, and though he likes Ant-Man, he thinks they have one big problem, they're too predictable.

In recent, not to mention extensive, interview with Live Talks Los Angeles, the Brazil director and Monty Python member said:

Terry Gilliam isn’t alone in thinking that superhero movies have become rather same-y — hopefully the studios have received the message, and it looks like maybe they have, as at least a handful are moving away from the origin-story-heavy tropes. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t going to be an origin story, Doctor Strange will reportedly eschew that cliché, and the new Marvel Spider-Man movie won’t show us Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider or Uncle Ben dying for the third time in recent memory, which is nice. It does look like they’re at least trying to change the formula to a degree — baby steps.

But just because Gilliam thinks superhero movies are largely unsurprising, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ones he likes. He remarked that he watched the Paul Rudd-fronted Ant-Man on the plane on the way to this event and enjoyed it. Still, even though he called it "brilliant" from a technical standpoint and said there is "a lot of really good stuff in there," he admitted that it, too, was predictable, and that he prefers to be surprised.

As usual, listening to Terry Gilliam talk, about anything really, is a treat, and though this interview clocks in at just over an hour, it’s totally worth checking out.

Steven Spielberg compared superhero movies to the western. That once massively popular genre has essentially died out, and he predicted the same thing for this new wave. But there were decades where countless good westerns were churned out by the studios, and even though it is not what it once was, there are still interesting, inventive westerns being made. Maybe that’s the path superhero movies will follow — we’ll have a few great years, a decline, then they’ll find a steady niche ripe for reevaluation. Over the next few years, we’ll certainly get the chance to see if the public’s appetite for the spandex-and-tights set has dimmed, as those bad boys are going to be everywhere.

This year is the 40th anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This means it’s time for the re-release of the Blu-ray/DVD and the brief return to theaters that the film gets about every five years at this point. For a movie that has been examined pretty much to death by now, you’d think that after 40 years there’s just nothing new to talk about. Well, you’d be wrong. It turns out that there are several minutes worth of Terry Gilliam's animation that we’ve never seen before. Feel free to sit and watch them 100 times in order to catch up to the number of times you’ve seen the movie.

Monty Python resident animator Terry Gilliam narrates the complete video, which is really worth listening to by itself. Gilliam wavers in between acting utterly heartbroken that his animation was rejected, and not being entirely sure exactly what he was trying to accomplish in the first place. It’s hard to tell if Gilliam is making a joke when he says he doesn’t have a clue what he was thinking with some of the art, if he’s being honest. It has been 40 years after all.

The commentary is, in its own way, very much a Monty Python-like sketch, complete with Gilliam being reprimanded by the guy doing the recording of his voice-over. After viewing the clips with Gilliam’s voice-over, you can see them in their "complete" form; but we have to warn you, they’re not going to make any more sense that way.

If you’re a Python fan - and if you’re not, there’s something wrong with you - you’ll know that Terry Gilliam’s animation that he did for the films (as well as the Flying Circus TV series) are all utterly bizarre. These are no exceptions. Whether it’s the trumpeters using a non-standard orifice to play their instruments or the snail which is...just...wrong, they all look like things that could have just as easily made it into the finished film.

One piece of actually useful and interesting information, which can be a rare thing to come from a Python, is the discussion of where the art style received its inspiration. While anybody who has ever looked at an illuminated manuscript or studied medieval art (that’s a thing we all do, right?) would recognize the style, according to Gilliam, the work was inspired not by the manuscripts themselves but by illustrations that were apparently done by monks in the margins of those manuscripts. Essentially, it’s all based on the doodles of bored monks. Sounds like the perfect place for Monty Python to get started.

It’s still amazing that after 40 years there are still things to uncover about this classic film. We can’t wait until the 45th anniversary Blu-ray release when the Monty Python guys reveal the never-before-seen video of all the different sandwiches John Cleese ate during filming. Cheese sandwiches, probably.

Like almost everything that Terry Gilliam has ever been a part of, his 1981 fantasy film Time Bandits has managed to elude many people while amassing a huge cult following. For those hoping that Gilliam wasn’t completely finished with this wild and wacky universe, there may be a bright light at the end of the hallway behind the bedroom wall. Rather than a film follow-up, however, Gilliam is actually working on a Time Bandits TV series. Is there a network awesome enough to take this on?

Gilliam was engaged in a webchat through The Guardian when someone asked if he was interested in bringing his filmmaking talents back to television, where he started things off with Do Not Adjust Your Set and Monty Python. Here’s his answer, which also brings up another project he’d been talking about for a while.

My first thought, beyond general jubilation, was “Why the shit did he give so many details about the latter project and not the Time Bandits series?” We want to know if “based on” means it’s going to tell largely the same story over the course of an entire TV season, or if it will simply employ the same time traveling dynamic and fantasy elements that are present in a lot of Gilliam’s work, with the requisite band of dwarves thrown in. Not that anyone can “simply” do such a thing.

In the film, Craig Warnock’s young and imaginative Kevin gets his mind blown when he discovers that his room is a vessel by which he can travel through time and space, which he does so while joining the aforementioned dwarves in keeping a sought-after map safe from evil…er, Evil, as played by David Warner. The treasure-chasing narrative goes all over the place and brings in characters such as Sean Connery’s Agamemnon and John Cleese’s Robin Hood, with other actors like Michael Palin, ian Holm and Shelley Duvall filling out the stellar cast.

There was talk of a Time Bandits remake back in 2011, and it thankfully never came to light, as no one but Gilliam should be behind anything related to that film, which goes with the superb Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as the Trilogy of Imagination. Of course, we’ve been waiting for Gilliam’s Don Quixote for ages now, so there’s no telling when Time Bandits will make its way to the small screen.

For a second we thought we’d lost another Python. We were told that Terry Gilliam had ceased to be. But luckily it was just a news publication getting the news very, very wrong, and, as they say, rumors of Terry Gilliam's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Though to be fair, one of the people currently exaggerating them is Terry Gilliam.

The director of Brazil, and member of a small British comedy troupe you probably never heard of, posted this to his Facebook page in response to an accidental, not to mention premature, obituary run by Variety yesterday. It turns out he’s not dead, just pining for the fjords. It’s not everyday that you can get an apology directly from somebody who has run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. Gilliam is sorry that he’s dead, though he blames bad reviews from Variety. Although, we have to say, nobody understood Zero Theorem.

Many publications have obituaries already written for older or ailing celebrities so that they don’t need to scramble to write one when somebody finds themselves bereft of life. It’s obvious that’s what happened here as important things, like Gilliam’s age (which is 74 by the way), were still left with X’s in their place in the published article. Somebody just pressed the wrong button and the obituary went live. As Gilliam references, Variety did remove the tweet and accompanying article and published an apology, though Gilliam urges fans not to believe the apology, that he is in fact an ex-Python. As of this writing it is unknown if those responsible have been sacked.

It’s not the first time that somebody has been accidently declared dead by the media. Still, it has to make you slightly concerned if you’re the guy people think kicked the bucket. You're on the list of people that might shuffle off this mortal coil soon enough that they feel the need to have an obituary ready just in case. So good news, you're famous enough to be noticed. Bad news, pretty soon you might be pushing up daisies.

As fans, who still want to see The Man Who Killed Don Quixote one day, we are overjoyed that the metabolic processes of Terry Gilliam are continuing on. We can’t imagine what would happen if the man had actually gone to meet his maker. What would anybody have to say?

What would happen if Simon Pegg had the powers to grant himself every one of his wishes? Looks like we're all about to find out when Absolutely Anything hits theaters in August. Take a look at the first trailer for the upcoming comedy.

In the trailer for the new British science fiction comedy, Absolutely Anything, Simon Pegg—who plays a disgruntled school teacher Neil Clarke—is suddenly given the ability to grant himself anything he wants, thanks to a group of aliens who are watching him from space. The aliens—who are voiced by Monty Python alums John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin—bestow this gift onto Clarke in a last chance attempt to save the Earth from being destroyed. This irreverent comedy displays all the usual humor that fans of Monty Python and Simon Pegg could ever expect. Simon Pegg learns the hard way to be careful what you wish for and it’s pure comedy gold.

According to an interview with Empire, writer Terry Jones—who co-wrote Absolutely Anything with Gavin Scott—credits the idea of the movie to the H.G. Wells story "The Man Who Could Work Miracles." In the British-comedy short story, H.G. Wells writes of a George McWhirter Fortheringay, who suddenly inhabits the ability to grant miracles while conversing with friends in an English pub. However, when his grandest miracle throws the entire planet into complete pandemonium, he uses his last two miracles to rid himself of the ability to grant miracles and restores time back to the point at which he first began discussing miracles with his friends in the pub, with no recollection of the aforementioned events ever taking place.

Although Absolutely Anything is strikingly similar to the H.G Wells story, the Jones and Scott reimagining has successfully managed to add unique sci-fi elements such as the power granting aliens and other comedic elements that have clearly updated the H.G. Wells classic story. And who better than the reigning king of British comedies, Simon Pegg, to get the job done.

Absolutely Anything is the quintessential Simon Pegg comedy, complete with a node to zombies. Anyone who has followed Pegg, who is best known for playing in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy—Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End—knows that when Simon Pegg’s every man character encounters fantastical elements, it is sure to bring laughs. Absolutely Anything hits theaters on August 14.

Terry Gilliam is revered in many circles of the filmmaking community thanks to his work with Monty Python and films like The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. To many, however, he’s more famous for being a strange guy and holding some eccentric views. Like this one. Apparently, the influential filmmaker thinks superheroes are starting to replace religion and if we would all look around, we would see the signs of it everywhere.

The filmmaker sat down with CINEMABLEND recently to promote his new film Zero Theorem, which does not star Robin Williams, when he pointed out something unusual he’s been seeing. People are dressing up as fantasy figures. These passions are taking over their lives and allegedly replacing many of the things older generations once considered sacred.

Here’s a portion of his thought-provoking quote, which came as part of a larger interview…

Whether the exodus from the Church and toward superheroes is widespread or not, Terry Gilliam doesn’t see it as a very good thing. In fact, he doesn’t see why anyone would indulge in the fantasy for more than a few seconds. He seems to think ultimately, it’s just empty.

The director’s controversial comments come in the wake of a particularly fluid time for the Christian Church. Recent studies have claimed Millennials, particularly white Millennials, are leaving behind traditional religion in record numbers. Because of this, the Church is in a period of transition. It needs to figure out a way to grow without losing its own identity. Most Millennials obviously aren’t looking to costumed heroes for moral guidance, but they may be looking to other places for sources of inspiration.

Terry Gilliam’s Zero Theorem is currently playing in select theaters. CINEMABLEND’s own Kristy Puchko raved about the film. Look for it in a theater near you, at least if you’re not too busy offering up a Hail Wonder Woman.

Uncompromising. Wild. Notorious. These are all words that could be applied filmmaker Terry Gilliam. He's a mad artist, Monty Python member, American ex-patriot, and outspoken social critic who has directed iconic films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, celebrated hits like Twelve Monkeys, Time Bandits, and The Fisher King. Then of course there were the flops and the reviled, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Brothers Grimm, and Tideland. His fans--us included--love him for the whole of his trials and triumphs.

Gilliam's films are often challenging, frequently underfunded, but always fascinating. His latest is The Zero Theorem, a dystopian drama that stars Christoph Waltz as a computer hacker desperately searching for meaning in a world run by merciless corporations.

This week I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Terry Gilliam, who is only allowed in the U.S. for 30 days a year (more on that later). Over the course of ten minutes, we discussed The Zero Theorem, its ties to his past dystopian epics, how he sees the U.S. and his own legacy, what he has coming up, and what he believes the new world religion really is. You can watch the entirety of the interview below. We've also broken out his most interesting quotes:

Gilliam believes superheroes are the new deities. In The Zero Theorem, there's a religious sect called The Church of Batman The Redeemer. It makes for a great visual gag, but Gilliam admits this is more a comment on our modern obsession with superheroes, which he believes is on the level of devotion. "As I was walking in New York yesterday on the way to another interview," he told me, "There on the streets were all these comic book covers and images for sale. It's taken over. I mean the Church is a dying thing. But comics and Marvel are everything now, aren't they? Don't they have all the answers to our lives? Aren' they the figures that we want to copy and be like and aspire to? Don't they relieve us when we're in trouble?...I like Batman. But you don't want to believe in him!"

He went on to cite the intense fandom of Comic Cons and cosplayers, saying "This is madness! It's fun for about two seconds, but when it takes over your life: look out!"

No more superhero movies for Terry Gilliam. Considering his admitted love of Batman, I asked Gilliam if he'd ever consider making a superhero movie of his own. Of course fans will remember he had sought to transform Watchmen into a movie, which eventually was made instead by Zack Snyder. But Gilliam won't be looking to reboot or carve out some corner of Marvel. He admitted, "No, I don't think (I) can now. They like hiring directors who are more amenable." (Emphasis his.)

Zero Theorem has Easter Eggs to other Gilliam movies. In The Zero Theorem there's a boy named Bob, who calls everyone Bob regardless of their name. In Twelve Monkeys there's a deranged old man who calls James Cole "Bob" throughout his misadventures. This is not--as I had admittedly hoped--some sign that the worlds are related. The Zero Theorem was penned by a long-time Gilliam admirer, Pat Rushin, who threaded the script with nods to other Gilliam films. "Those connections are very superfluous really," Gilliam laughed, "They are fun, but they are not essential."

Gilliam could return to television with The Defective Detective. Looking over his credits, I was stunned that this visionary director has never helmed TV. He told me, "I started in TV and I left home." But then he dropped some shocking news, saying, "I'm thinking of going back. At the moment, having watched Breaking Bad, The Killing, all this stuff--this is where the good writing is. This is where you can hire the best actors--not the biggest stars--and it reaches an audience. It's the most exciting thing going on at the moment. As a matter of fact, while I'm in New York, Richard LaGravenese--he wrote Fisher King and the script called The Defective Detective--we're actually meeting on Saturday to talk whether he take that script and make it into something a little bit longer."

The Defective Detective is one of the many in-development projects that Terry Gilliam has teased over the years. The possibility of reteaming with LaGravenese, who earned an Academy Award nomination for The Fisher King, is thrilling on its own. But considering Gilliam's high opinion of contemporary television, it's even more exciting to imagine what he hopes to bring to its arena.

Robin Williams is not in The Zero Theorem.. It's a common misconception apparently, but Gilliam was clear, "People think that. He's not in it. Robin's not in there." Read more on that here.

A Good Omens movie will not be resurrected. We recently reminded movie fans of a potential Gilliam project that would have been an adaptation of the Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett novel about an angel and demon teaming up to prevent the end of the world for selfish reasons. Good Omens was in development back in 2002, and had Johnny Depp and Robin Williams attached. It never came together. Even the surge in Gaiman's Hollywood appeal is not likely to change that.

"Neil sort of gave me the rights to it and we wrote a script. Tony Grisoni and I wrote a script," Gilliam recalled, "It was going to starring Johnny Depp and Robin (Williams) years ago. It was very funny. Johnny hadn't shot like that (he points up) and Robin's was beginning to go in that direction (gestures down). Nobody wanted to do it. Now the studios would die to put those two people in. But anyway--I'm told they are doing a TV adaptation in Britain. But it's not the script we were working from…I guess I still have the rights to the film version. Except it's complicated. The company that was doing it went bankrupt and it's controlled by the receivers now. All these things just start making me crazy."

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has financing, but no start date. This adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote is the most talked about Gilliam project that never was. His first attempt was plagued by "acts of God" and documented in Lost in La Mancha. But Gilliam hasn't given up on the film, and told us, "We've got money for the film." And also detailed why he refuses to turn to Kickstarter for financing.

Rumors that he's working with Laika on a project are overblown. "We've kind of been not in talks. We keep reading how often we're talking," he chuckled. "But I like them! They're a good company. If we could think of something to do, it would be a good idea. I just can't get my head around it at the moment, but yes."

Don't call Terry Gilliam an American filmmaker. Gilliam renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2006, partially as a protest against President George W. Bush, partially over the nation's inheritance tax laws. As a result, Gilliam can only spend 30 days in the U.S. a year until a full decade has passed. You can see his frustration over his probation our video interview. So perhaps it's none too surprising that when asked if he considers himself and American filmmaker, the Minnesota-born ex-pat said, "Not anymore, I'm no longer an American." He went on to jest that Americans can claim him as one of their own until 2016, when his probation ends.

Thanks for spending 10 minutes of your 30 days with us, Terry!

Zero Theorem is now in theaters.

Following the unexpected and tragic death of Robin Williams, we began to not only take stock of the great performances he's offered over the decades, but also those we might still have to look forward to even in his absence. A few weeks back we reported how Williams might be cut from what would have been his last film, Absolutely Anything. Now we've learned he's not even in one that he's already been credited on.

Fans of Robin William have been taking some delight in seeing his blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo in Terry Gilliam's latest dystopian adventure, The Zero Theorem. But when I mentioned the cameo to Gilliam himself, the director was confounded, denying it ever took place. He shook his head and insisted:

I was so stunned that all I could say was, "Really?" To which Gilliam teased good naturedly:

Below is the image of the on the street ad within The Zero Theorem that had me believing Gilliam's Oscar-nominated Fisher King star had popped by for a small role.

But I'm not the only one! Search for "Robin Williams Zero Theorem" and this very image pops up on various sites. Check IMDB and he's credited with this as screencapped below:

But Terry Gilliam says, "No, it isn't."

He did mention that in the assembly of actors who popped in to play talking heads in stalking adverts. He had Rupert Friend, Gwendoline Christie, Lily Cole, and long-time cast member Ray Cooper. Perhaps it's the 72-year-old English musician who is actually the Batman The Redeemer spokesperson?

With The Zero Theorem soon to be struck from Robin William's filmography, Absolutely Anything is now Terry Gilliam's last chance to reteam with him. In the sci-fi comedy helmed by fellow Monty Python member Terry Jones, Gilliam will voice an extraterrestrial alongside his former television co-stars. Williams did lend his voice to play a talking dog named Dennis, but his making the final cut was called into question when Absolutely Anything's star Simon Pegg suggested Jones might have needed more time with Robin for the record.

Absolutely Anything is due out in the UK next February, so we should know more on that story soon. In the meantime, see The Zero Theorem. Opening in theaters tomorrow, it's great even if it doesn't have a secret Robin Williams cameo.

More than maybe any other filmmaker, Terry Gilliam's legacy is as made up of his failed projects as his successes. Still in the former column is the notorious The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. But when we sat down with Gilliam over his latest, The Zero Theorem, he offered up some news on this long-struggling feature as well as an unusual promise to fans. He's got financing; he won't take your money.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote still has not made it through production, despite numerous attempts by Terry Gilliam to get it made. The most famous--or infamous--of these was captured in the revealing behind-the-scenes documentary from 2002, Lost in La Mancha. More than a decade later, the press tour for The Zero Theorem has gotten rumors of the projects revival rumbling again. Initially, Gilliam played coy. When asked where the project stands, he responded, "I don't know at the moment. I've been working on it, but I don't know. Right now I don't know when and if." He later admitted he has financing in place, at least in part.

Considering how financing has been a repeated problem in mounting The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, I asked what many have wondered: Had Terry Gilliam he considered Kickstarter to raise funds? As you can see in the video below, he was friendly but frank about his thoughts on the matter:

I suggested that some (myself included) might consider a new Terry Gilliam movie as the something they get back. To that, he said, "That--you're right. You've got a bigger picture than I do. (Laughs.)"

He went on to acknowledge that Kickstarter has worked great for the Veronica Mars movie, and that fans seem eager to give to such projects, "which'd be handy." But still, he's reluctant. Finally, he allowed, "I'm keeping that in reserve. We've got money for the film (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote). But if we need more money I might go to Kickstarter 'cause that’s a quick one."

See Gilliam's full thoughts on Kickstarter in the video below:

Look for more from my interview with Terry Gilliam tomorrow, as The Zero Theorem hits theaters.

In the wake of the unexpected and tragic death of Robin Williams, producers of his most recent projects were left wondering how to either complete them in his absence, or promote them without their shining star. But among the many things we'll miss from this beloved funnyman is a reunion with Terry Gilliam for his would-be adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. Gaiman himself reminded us all of this loss on Twitter.

Any fan of Terry Gilliam knows that his filmography is almost as defined by those he's made as it is those he hasn't. Among his success are 1991's Academy Award-winning dramedy The Fisher King, which earned Robin Williams his third Oscar nomination. Over ten years later, Gilliam was hot to reteam with Williams, wanting him to headline Good Omens alongside Johnny Depp. But this was never to be.

The novel, co-written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, centers on the coming of the End of Days. But there is an unlikely duo who wishes to prevent the Armageddon, having grown accustomed to their lives on Earth. That'd be rare book seller/angel Aziraphale, and his demon cohort Crowley. Rumors have long insisted that Gilliam wanted Depp, who would have been coming off the biopic Blow and the Jack the Ripper thriller From Hell, for the part of the less than devilish demon Crowley. Williams was said to be considered for the role of the bibliophile Aziraphale.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with Terry Gilliam's unconventional brand of films, Good Omens struggled to secure funding. Eventually, it was shelved indefinitely. Of course, Gilliam is nothing if not tenacious. As late as 2006, he'd admitted hopes to get the adaptation back on its feet. Of course, he's also still attempting to remount another Johnny Depp vehicle, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The destruction of that production was dedicatedly and heartbreakingly revealed in the documentary Lost in La Mancha.

Perhaps the current surge in Neil Gaiman's movie cache could come in handy in Gilliam's efforts to revive Good Omens. After years of wavering, Gaiman's Sandman comics are earnestly being developed into a vehicle for Joseph Gordon Levitt to direct. Meanwhile, celebrated helmer John Cameron Mitchell is transforming his short story How to Talk To Girls At Parties into an ethereal coming-of-age sci-fi adventure. And just last week Steven Spielberg got on board to produce an adaptation of Gaiman's yet-to-be-released graphic novel Hansel And Gretel.

Even with the loss of Robin Williams, everything coming up Gaiman could be a good omen for Good Omens.

Terry Gilliam's reputation as a filmmaker is one of great vision and great misfortune. His difficulties in attempting to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote filled the behind-the-scenes documentary Lost In La Mancha. And with the film still uncompleted, that 2002 doc could well merit a sequel. He hit an incredible obstacle with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when his leading man, Heath Ledger, unexpectedly died before production wrapped. And now, his latest, The Zero Theorem is facing a lawsuit over part of its set design.

THR reports Terry Gilliam is being sued by three well-known street artists who allege The Zero Theorem violates the copyright of their collaborative mural titled Castillo. Argentinians Franco "Jaz" Fasoli and Nicolas "Ever" Escalada, as well as Canadian Derek "Troy Lovegates -- aka Other" Mehaffey -- are holding Voltage Pictures, Amplify Releasing and other distributors as responsible for what they call Gilliam's "repeated disregard for copyright law." They are demanding an injunction against The Zero Theorem, which has already opened in Europe, Russia, Australia and much of South America and is set to hit the U.S. on September 19th. They are also seeking damages.

Okay. Let's break this down bit by bit.

The pictures found on this page are of Castillo, completed in December of 2010. Its artists included this image as part of court documents in the lawsuit. The piece was a mural they created in Buenos Aires's zona de graffiti--or street art zone--where graffiti artists are freely allowed to paint. Remarkably, this mural has not been painted over by others in the intervening years. Its persistence and popularity inspired the trio to copyright Castillo in 2013. And according to them, a mural clearly referencing theirs appears in The Zero Theorem, outside the main set of a dilapidated church. Here's one image from this set:

It's hard to argue that Gilliam's set design doesn't echo Castillo. There's a fighting rat man and a white figure with teal headdress and colorful strands coming out of his eyes. That's hardly up for debate. But is it homage and or copyright infringement? Part of Jaz, Ever and Other's argument is that they command tens of thousands for commissioned works, suggesting theirs is no common street art. Furthermore, they are trying to paint the image that Gilliam is a regular thief of art, referring to a 12 Monkeys lawsuit that alleged the design for a torture chair set piece in the film was ripped from Lebbeus Woods' drawing "Neomechanical Tower (Upper) Chamber." That case settled. But what about this case?

Art in and out its very nature references past works, and Gilliam's has always done so, even from his earliest cartoons on Monty Python's Flying Circus. His collision of influences both modern (graffiti art) and classic (the church's architecture and sculptures) are a major element of Gilliam's auteur style. But where do we draw the line between homage to a piece of art and copyright infringement? We'll find out as this case progresses.

This poll is no longer available.

The Zero Theorem is available on VOD tomorrow.

I’ve been a fan of Monty Python for more years of my life than not, and thus complacency had set in with the notion that the five surviving members would never again reconvene under the moniker. And then, astoundingly, it happened recently in the form of Monty Python Live (mostly), a limited run of live performances in London’s O2 arena. The last of these performances was simulcast in theaters around the globe, allowing worldwide communities of Python fans to get together and sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" with the group for one last time. Pardon me, I have something in my eye.

Luckily, this event wasn’t exactly a One Time Only affair, as Fathom Events will be showing encore screenings of the performance on Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23. (Find your closest theater here.) Assuming you guys aren’t getting your geek on in a completely different way at this year’s Comic-Con, Monty Python Live (mostly) should be the only thing you’re looking forward to doing this week, and here are five reasons why you need to gather a group of your closest Gumbys and see it while you still can!

It’s Monty Python Live, For Graham’s Sakes!

While Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam have all gotten together over the years for promotion of all things Monty Python and Idle’s recent run of amazing musicals, it’s rarely been as an entire group, and it’s even rarer that they actually "perform" anything. (The upcoming sci-fi comedy Absolutely Anything is something completely different.) Audiences have essentially waited 34 years, since 1980’s Live at the Hollywood Bowl performance, to see this many Python members sharing the same stage and performing the troupe’s greatest bits (and then some). If we’re counting "in spirit" performances, the deceased Graham Chapman was absolutely a part of the show, both in fun references and in use of stock footage, and you’d better believe the honorary seventh Python, the still dazzling Carol Cleveland, was utilized as often as one would have hoped.

It goes without saying that watching five men in their 70s dancing around a stage, sometimes in revealing women’s clothing, is not always a recipe for success, but this quintet are nearly as sharp as they ever were. With some fabulous exceptions, Monty Python delivered a flawless return to the surreal sketches and witty ditties of their youth, effortlessly segueing their most iconic bits with the best (and least legally binding) post-Flying Circus material with madcap stage design utilizing a giant screen for visual gags and song lyrics. Plus, the pre-show footage showed off some behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, as well as trivia questions about the group’s work. If I had one complaint, it’d be that I’m not still sitting there watching it right now.

The Music

Having developed both Spamalot and Not the Messiah, Eric Idle has proven his excellence in yet another area of music, and it was a lewd and laudable treat to see just how many of Monty Python’s greatest songs got full-blown musical numbers, while many more were present in instrumentals and as segues between set pieces. The orchestra used was more spot on than the actors were, all things considered, and it was wonderful to hear songs like "Eric the Half-a-Bee" and "Never be Rude to an Arab" make their appearances in lyric-free form.

The "Penis Song" pops up almost immediately – nudge nudge – and it’s the first appearance of a 20-ish-person song-and-dance team that were ever-dynamic and eye-catching, often more so than the central fivesome. The music was also where 1983’s The Meaning of Life made its presence known, with blatant buffoonery and colorful explosions taking part in performances of "Every Sperm is Sacred," along with a few other perfectly placed numbers. "Sit on My Face" gets a particularly crotch-ity rendition, silly walks are meshed with "The Money Song," and Idle’s "Wink Wink" series of double entendres are given a dance remix. The entire ordeal, which included a 30-minute intermission, retained its high-energy pacing from start to finish, and it had a lot to do with the music. (And keep an eye out for the costumed reference to Flying Circus’s Flasher segment.)

The Hits

Have you ever paid a lot of money to watch a music artist and they failed to play the songs you wanted to hear? None of that happened during Monty Python Live (mostly), as the group smashed together all of the expected sketches, such as "Spanish Inquisition" – NO one expects the Spanish Inquisition – and "Dead Parrot," and each was presented with just the right amount of streamlined tweaks and updates. For instance, the famed "Poofy Judges" sketch includes references to John Cleese’s many divorces, and the characters sometimes stepped from one sketch right into something else.

Live at the Hollywood Bowl is also fondly remembered here, as "Albatross" makes an appearance, as does "The Penultimate Supper" and my personal favorite, "Four Yorkshiremen." It was pure luxury. And there were a couple of stranger inclusions that I really wasn’t expecting to see, including "The Death of Mary Queen of Scots" and "The Man Who Speaks in Anagrams." During the different setting changes, classic sketches like the "Silly Olympics" and different Terry Gilliam animations would play, keeping the mood lively. I could sit here and list segments I would have loved to have seen performed live, but I have no arguments about what was there. (Yes, I do. No, I don’t. This isn’t an argument.)

The Misses

Watching someone screw up during a ballet or fall out of character in a serious production is never what the audience wants, but it was more than welcome to watch these five guys breaking character when they felt a laugh coming on. There were a few times when it was obvious a line or two had just completely gone out of the actors’ heads, or Palin would stumble during one of his more elongated rants, but those come with the territory of performing genius material years past one’s prime. I was honestly surprised by how few errors there were.

The more fancy-free bits occurred during the "Crunchy Frog" sketch and during "Dead Parrot." And perhaps it’s no surprise that Cleese is the one who loses his verbal footing in both. One such derailment involved Terry Gilliam’s inability to hold onto his meal, while the other incorporated a somewhat lengthy bit of fun-poking at the Daily Mail, whose opening night review of Monty Python Live (mostly) was more negative than the Knights Who Say "No." ("Ni.") In both cases, however, it was great to sit back and consider just how long it has been since all of this morbid wordplay was first written, and the history that these men have experienced together.

The Surprises

To go along with the modern references sprinkled into the act, Monty Python Live (mostly) contained several genuine surprises on its quest to provide laughs. One involves a couple of new verses added to one of their classic songs, and the new material is every bit as good as the old stuff. (The shock value is part of the fun.) And you might be surprised to find a few famous non-Python faces sprinkled into the show as well.

The always hilarious comic Eddie Izzard, whose history with the troupe goes back many years, shows up where you least expect him to, and the "Blackmail" sketch includes another comedy superstar. Though neither adds much to the show as a whole – and it looked like they were just as surprised to be there as audience were to see them – it was still excellent to have some left-field additions to the fun. More impressive than that duo, however, are physicists Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking, who each provide their own unique commentary for the "Galaxy Song." It's sincerely one of the greatest cameo segments in pop culture history.

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Christoph Waltz + Terry Gilliam = The Zero Theorem, also known as a movie we've been aching to see for nearly a year now! The latest from the deranged but brilliant mind behind 12 Monkeys, Brazil and Time Bandits is back with a movie that is sure to be as mind-bending as it is uniquely beautiful to behold. The latest trailer promises much weirdness, many character actors, and a bonkers adventure.

Two-time Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained) stars as Qohen Leth, a computer genius seeking to uncover the purpose for human existence. However his quest is again and again derailed by The Management, which sends a lusty teen girl (Melanie Thierry) to seduce him away from his search for meaning.

The trailer up top is the first official trailer for the film's long-awaited U.S. release, brought to us by the new distributor Amplify. The Zero Theorem made its world debut back in September of 2013 at the Venice Film Festival. A long string of film fest appearances followed, taking the sci-fi thriller from Rio de Janeiro to Sitges to Austin's Fantastic Fest, London, Brisbane and Belgrade. Terry Gilliam'sThe Zero Theorem made its theatrical world premiere on January 2nd of 2014 in Russia. Releases followed in the U.K., Ireland, Singapore, Macedonia and more. And still, the U.S. had to wait for news of a release. Finally our day has come. Or is coming.

The Zero Theorem will hit theaters Stateside on September 19th. But if you can't wait that long, mark your calendar for August 19th, when the film will be made available on iTunes and VOD.

Why has it taken The Zero Theorem so long to land a U.S. release date? Perhaps it's because Gilliam's movies are far from safe commercial properties. 12 Monkeys was a hit, pulling in $57 million domestic and another $111 worldwide. But most often, Gilliam's box office prowess is non-existent in the States. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas cost $18.5 mil and made $10 mil. The Brothers Grimm boasted Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, yet the $88 mil movie made just $37 mil in the U.S. Tideland followed with a budget of $12 mil, and a painfully low domestic gross of $66,453. And most recently was The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a $30 million fantasy that had major production issues when its leading man (Ledger) unexpectedly died. Not even the draw of seeing Ledger's last film could bring this above $7.6 million in the U.S.

So yes, Terry Gilliam is not a filmmaker who will make a distributor lots of money. But as I am not a distributor, I don't care. Gilliam's films are seminal, wonderful and surreal. And I am chomping at the bit to see what he's done with a cast that includes not only Christoph Waltz, but also David Thewlis, Ben Whishaw, Gwendoline Christie, Peter Stormare and Tilda Swinton. Thankfully, we don't have much longer to wait.

Hey, remember when the MPAA heroically saved us all from seeing too much of Eva Green’s nipple on the Sin City 2 posters? Well, those same heroes are back, and this time, they’re saving us all from seeing Christoph Waltz’s bare butt in the new poster for Zero Theorem.

It’s at this part of the story where I’d normally tell you to be careful if you’re at work before scrolling below, but I’m honestly not sure there are any bosses in the United States who would can someone for glimpsing a butt crack from a million miles away. So, as you can see, I went ahead and embedded it at the top of the article. Because it’s not over the line at all.

Still, the MPAA apparently thought different, and they informed poor director Terry Gilliam about the news earlier this month. He took to his Facebook to bitch about the decision, and as you can see if you clicked on the link, Mark Zuckerberg and company apparently agree. The poster is still up and shows no signs of being taken down, despite the fact that the powers that be at Facebook have proven to be overly cautious censors over the years.

Zero Theorem follows a computer programmer who is tasked with hunting down the titular formula that may or may not prove the existence of life. It takes place in some kind of futuristic world that looks like a cross between Idiocracy and Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, and judging by Terry Gilliam’s standard operating procedure, Zero Theorem will likely be extremely polarizing.

Fortunately for all involved, the film will get marketed, despite the ban. Instead, it’ll just get the shiny little poster seen below…

It makes sense that an organization would take the time to make sure the movie posters we see in theaters aren’t way over the line. There are children around, and they don’t need to see hardcore nudity. That being said, there has to be some common sense involved. There’s nothing wrong with the Zero Theorem poster at the top of this story, and there’s nothing wrong with the Eva Green one that was banned earlier this summer.

You can check out Green in all her hotness on the next page…

Oh, Terry Gilliam. Can I call you Terry? No? Okay then. Mr. Gilliam, your marvelously unique and wonderfully macabre onscreen ventures have always been a treat for my imagination, and I feel that most directors are only nipping at your heels when it comes to creating thought-provoking cinema. So why, oh why do you continue to bark up the tree of impossibility by trying to get a Don Quixote movie off of the ground. Yes, readers, Gilliam is intending on making his dream/nightmare adaptation the follow up to his upcoming sci-fi fantasy The Zero Theorem. And while we at Cinema Blend are pretty sure we’ll get new music from the Beatles before we see Don Quixote, his adamant intentions are respectable.

In talking with ComingSoon, he confirmed the film will be next on his slate, saying, "I think this is the seventh time. Lucky seven, maybe. We’ll see if it happens. This is kind of my default position, going back to that. I actually just want to make it and get rid of it. Get it out of my life."

That’s quite a goal, considering any adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes will take months and months of both pre-production and post-production work, especially with Gilliam’s gigantic vision at the helm. Let us all remember his most successful time with the adaptation was chronicled in the wonderful 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, in which Johnny Depp was witty, Jean Rochefort was ill, the sets were enormous, and the production was completely disastrous. We’re still looking at another two years of Gilliam’s life taken away by this long-gestating obsession.

"I don’t know if it will be good or bad," he said. "The dangerous thing is that a lot of people are waiting for it, so I can disappoint a lot of people maybe." The visionary director has disappointed quite a few people with his last three films – 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and 2005’s Tideland, and Brothers Grimm – so I don’t think any of those people would be surprised if his latest attempt at Quixote didn’t fare better. (For the record, I loved Tideland’s moroseness and thought the other two were fine.)

Gilliam’s last attempt at the project bottomed out around three years ago, and as recent at August, Gilliam told Deadline he might be ready to throw in the towel. But that’s apparently no longer the case. Will Robert Duvall and Ewan McGregor re-attach themselves to the project, now that Depp has his own Quixote project in the works? Or would other actors be better suited for the parts? Check out the trailer for Lost in La Mancha below and give us your odds in the comments on this project’s chances of becoming a reality.

With Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem having its premiere at the Venice Film Festival today, the first official clip has made its way online (courtesy of ComingSoon.it). While the scene doesn't feature any dialogue from the characters, it does do quite a good job of establishing the newest fantasy world from the director of Twelve Monkeys and Brazil.

What's really great about this clip is just how quickly and effectively it sets up the new world that Gilliam has created. In The Zero Theorem it appears that a church has been formed so that people can worship "Batman the Redeemer," citizens get their news from duMBC (see if you can't figure out the hidden message in there), and that the phrase "Occupy Wall Street" isn't so much a call for the 99% to rise up against the 1% as much as it is a way to advertise blow-out sales.

Gilliam's world-building skills aside, what really makes me excited for this film is the simple fact that Christoph Waltz is playing the movie's lead role. The best stuff we've seen from the star since he arrived Stateside has been in supporting roles - particularly his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino - but Gilliam is giving Austrian actor the spotlight here. And if he can deliver anything like what we saw in both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained then perhaps by this time next year Waltz will have a third Academy Award sitting up on his mantle:

Scripted by newcomer Pat Rushin, the film stars Waltz as a man named Qohen Leth, a computer hacker who is working to try and discover the meaning of our existence. Unfortuantely, his attempts are thwarted at every turn by the Management. In order to stop Qohen's progress, the antagonist's latest plot is to distract him with a teenager and a love interest. David Thewlis, Melanie Thierry, Lucas Hedges, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton and Matt Damon co-star in the movie. The Zero Theorem doesn't have a U.S. distributor yet and therefore no release date set up, but that all could change in the coming days/weeks as deals are made and contracts are signed.

After the world and time-spanning spectacle of Cloud Atlas confused and amazed viewers last year, it has gotten harder to judge a project from the Wachowski siblings in the same light as most other directors. It seems almost impossible to think they’d ever return to material that even vaguely resembled that of their first feature, 1996’s lesbian crime story Bound. But then, nobody really wants them to, and it’s not surprising that their next project, Jupiter Ascending, is just as fantastical as everything they’ve done since.

And when you think about go-for-broke directors who immerse themselves in their films’ universes like the Wachowskis do, the conversation almost naturally will land on Terry Gilliam, the Monty Python alum who has been polarizing audiences for almost his whole career. (But everybody loves Time Bandits, right?) Via his Facebook page, Gilliam let everyone know that he will play a bit part in Jupiter Ascending, and now that these worlds are finally colliding, everything magically makes sense in the world.

His message, which was posted beneath a set photo, stated, “Off at dawn tomorrow to pretend to be an actor in the new Wachowski’s (sic) film Jupiter Ascending. It’s a small but vital part (or so I’m told).” Not that much is known about the film’s plotline anyway, so we could know his name and occupation and still have no idea who he is.

Mila Kunis will play a Russian immigrant who is the lowest of the low in a futuristic universe where humans are on the low end of the totem pole. Once an genetically-engineered ex-military man (Channing Tatum) drops down to Earth to find her, she discovers that her DNA is identical to the all-powerful Queen of the Universe, and her destiny comes fully into view.

Jupiter Ascending will hit theaters on July 25, 2014. Terry Gilliam’s next film is the “quest for our existence” drama Zero Theorem, which probably won’t come out for another seven years, but at least there weren’t any set disasters.

Terry Gilliam is a fascinating filmmaker whose mystique and reputation is informed as much by his failures as by his successes. His most critically heralded film was the mind-bending adventure Brazil, which was a commercial flop. But perhaps his biggest and most defining failure is the movie that this tenacious filmmaker has yet to complete, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Gilliam first tried to shoot his adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote back in the fall of 2000 with recurring collaborator Johnny Depp set to star. However, the production fell apart in a most fantastic fashion, which was immortalized in the behind-the-scenes documentary Lost in La Mancha.

Despite repeated attempts to recast and remount, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Gilliam has yet to finish the film that haunts him. But much to our surprise, last week it was announced that Depp is developing his own Don Quixote movie over at Disney. Would Gilliam be involved? It seems not. HeyUGuys caught up with Gilliam at last night's British Independent Film Awards, and after asking him about his recently wrapped production of the star-stuffed drama, The Zero Theorem, the reporter asked what Gilliam knew about Depp's Don Quixote. You can check out his response below, thanks to a tip from The Playlist:

Though admittedly tired from the Bucharest shoot of The Zero Theorem, Gilliam seems in good spirits to get rolling on the drama's post-production. Plus, he's hopeful that it will debut in the fall of 2013, declaring it "an autumn film." But when it came to talking about Don Quixote, he's a bit cagier. When asked if he's involved with Depp's project, he seems to say no, but then states:

From this it's clear Gilliam has not been contacted to be a part of Disney and Depp's Don Quixote, which considering his plagued productions on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and string of domestic box office flops (The Brothers Grimm, Tideland, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parsassus) isn't a surprise. Still, near the end of the clip Gilliam seems to suggest he wouldn't be too interest in studio work, referring to that route of filmmaking as "the machine." And if you've seen any of Gilliam's works, you know how he regards authority, which is to say with utter distrust.

Terry Gilliam has long been a challenging filmmaker. His works—always daringly different and often deeply strange—can be a hard sell to more mainstream audiences. But after his offbeat time-travel adventure Time Bandits earned a warm reception from critics and more than $42 million at the U.S. box office, Universal Pictures opted to distribute his ambitious follow-up Brazil. Still, studio execs Sid Sheinberg and Frank Price had no idea what to expect of the film, as Gilliam himself recalls in the clip below:

"We'll have to sell this as the film of the decade," Sid said. Gilliam took this as a sign that these suits didn't get Brazil, and figured they'd have a hell of a time selling it to the public. Gilliam notes his ever-optimistic producer Arnon Milchan took the remark at face value, but unfortunately he was wrong. The clip from the film's Criterion Blu-ray cuts off at a crucial moment, presumably when Sheinberg demanded the film be re-cut with a happier ending.

A battle ensued that led to Brazil being shelved until Gilliam—without the studio's permission—invited critics to a screening of his cut of the film. Thereafter, Brazil was named the Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Best Picture of 1985. This spurred Universal to compromise. With Gilliam's oversight, his original 142-minute film was cut down to 132 minutes and was released. Though its domestic box office did prove disappoint, the film went on to earn Oscar nominations for Art Direction and Best Original Screenplay, and aside from becoming a cult classic, is considered by many to be Gilliam's masterwork.

The Brazil Criterion Blu-ray is now on sale.

From the bizarre bureaucracy of Brazil, to the plagued earth of 12 Monkeys and the nightmarish world of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, writer-director Terry Gilliam has created some of cinema's most haunting and memorable dystopias. So fans of the wildly imaginative and ambitious filmmaker shouldn't be surprised that his next venture, called The Zero Theorem is set in a world gone mad, in this case an Orwellian dystopia.

The drama stars Inglorious Basterds' Academy Award-winning and scene-stealing supporting player Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth, a computer programmer toiling to understand the meaning of existence. However, surrounded by "mancams" that report all unusual actions back to the shadowy corporate authority known as the Management, Leth finds his efforts repeatedly interrupted by distractions, including a teenager and a lusty love interest. David Thewlis, Tilda Swinton, and Matt Damon will co-star. Thanks to Bleeding Cool, you can see if you can spot any of them below in this on location footage captured by an onlooker in the streets of Bucharest, Romania.

Whether or not you can spot any stars (or maybe just their stuntmen), the vid above gives a pretty interesting look at the film. For one, you have someone seemingly dressed like one of Santa's elves and someone else dressed as Death in a berry-colored convertible that tears down a street, whizzing past by candy-colored people and props, with what appears to be a fleet of teeny dull-colored Smart Cars in pursuit. Make of that what you will.

The Zero Theorem is expected to be released next year.

Time to dust off your favorite Monty Python's Flying Circus quotes. The groundbreaking sketch comedy show's surviving members, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle, are close to reteaming for a science-fiction farce titled Absolutely Anything. The live-action comedy, which will be directed by Jones, will center on a man who becomes the plaything of a group of aliens that bestow upon him the power to do "absolutely anything." The Python boys will lend their voices to these scheming extraterrestrials, which will be CGI creations. Already Jones has gotten his Monty Python and the Holy Grail co-director Terry Gilliam on board, as well as Cleese and Palin. Absolutely Anything's producers are now working to sign Idle, and Jones has assured Variety:

Absolutely Anything producer Mike Medavoy also believes the Pythons will be a great fit for the giddy comedy styling of the film, comparing its sensibility to that of the Pink Panther movies of the 1970s, adding:

What we do know at this point is that aside from the human burdened by omnipotence, and this Frenchman Medavoy speaks of, the script, which has been under development by Jones and Gavin Scott for the last two decades, also includes a talking dog called Dennis, "who seems to understand more about the mayhem that ensues than anyone else does." While the producers have yet to cast the leads in this piece, American comedian Robin Williams is set to voice the talking dog and is in talks to play the Frenchman as well.

Admittedly this last bit of casting news dampens my enthusiasm about this production. Still, it's good to see Jones returning to directing features, as the helmsman of Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life has been largely absent from the film scene since 1996's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which garnered only a limited release. And while I'm sure many fans will lament the fact that the Python boys won't appear in the film, I am still hopeful their inclusion on this project means Jones' long-labored efforts have yielded something extraordinary.

If Idle does sign on, this feature would be the first time the surviving five members have shared the stage (so to speak) since 2009, when they made a brief but fan adored appearance for a Q&A following the premier of the documentary Monty Python: Almost the Truth (the Lawyer's Cut). Deceased member Graham Chapman was represented at the event with a large photograph, which drew less notice then his reported appearance at the troupe's 1998 reunion at the Aspen Comedy Festival, where the boys toted an urn that they insisted contained Chapman's ashes. It'll be interesting to see if/how Chapman may be included in Absolutely Anything, which is slated to go into production this spring.

For a lot of people Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits fits comfortably on a shelf next to movies like Goonies and E.T. as one of the films that most shaped their childhood. So of course it’s being remade.

Guy Collins, Michael Ryan and Fred Hedman who used to run Handmade Films Intl. are produce what they’re calling a “reboot” of the Terry Gilliam classic. In addition to Time Bandits Handmade Films was responsible for such classics as Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and more recently 127 Hours. Their back catalogue is fairly limited though, with only around 30 movies in their library, so in an era where Hollywood is no longer making original material and instead simply mining their back catalogue for movies with name recognition to redo, this was probably inevitable.

In this case using the word reboot to describe what’s being done to Time Bandits is pretty clearly just a nicer way of saying straight-up remake. They tell Variety their plan is to turn it into a “bigscreen kids action franchise”. Here’s what I’ve learned in covering movies for nearly a decade: People who make great movies for kids don’t set out to make movies for kids, they just set out to make good movies. See Pixar. With that as their mindset, feel free to go ahead and predict failure for this endeavor, or start planning your “it’s just a kids movie” excuses for when the thing shows up in theaters and is terrible.

The original 1981 Time Bandits was an original idea written by Monty Python alums Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. It told the story of a boy whisked off on a fantasy adventure by a group of dwarves, as they travel to mythical places and time periods. Will Terry Gilliam be involved in the remake? If you know anything at all about Gilliam, you know that’s pretty unlikely.

It's worth noting that Handmade Films was rumored to be attempting a Time Bandits remake as far back as 2006, and nothing ever came of it. If we're lucky, this effort will fare no better.

Terry Gilliam recently watched his Don Quixote project fall apart once again, which means the director of Time Bandits and Brazil is, again, unemployed. While he waits to figure out the next move-- maybe converting Time Bandits to 3D?-- he's taking on an entirely different animal: a commercial for Pepsi. With David Arquette, and David Arquette's mullet.

The short film, which inevitably will be edited into oblivion to fit 30-second ad spaces, is called The Legend of Talladega. Bleeding Cool got their hands on a set of photos Arquette has been posting on his Twitter and he looks god damn ridiculous in the best way.

We don’t have any major details from the story, but from what I can gather from these pictures I’d say it’s going to be about a NASCAR super-fan who is sustained by his Pepsi life-blood. That’s what the goggles, stock cars, and amazing mullet imply, at least. We also find out that Arquette has wrapped up on Scream 4, so expect to start seeing teasers for that before end of year.

Earlier Bleeding Cool had gotten a little more detail about the project, which suggested it might be a mockumentary as well as a ghost story-- perfectly weird for Gilliam. Pepsi hasn’t hinted about when we should see The Legend of Talladega premiere online or otherwise, so we'll bring you more on this once they get the thing put together. Check out some pics below and the rest over at Bleeding Cool.

Be it on The Daily Show or Community, John Oliver has proven that he is immensely funny. The problem, however, is that Oliver's character was only on five of Community's twenty-five episode first season and doesn't show up every night on the late night show with Jon Stewart (though he is always working behind the scenes as a writer). That may soon change. The actor has only one film role on his resume, a character named "Dick Pants" in the embarrassingly bad The Love Guru, but if the talent surrounding him in his new venture is any indication, Oliver may be ready to go the route of many Daily Show correspondents before him.

Deadline reports that Oliver is now set up to star in Absolutely Anything, a film written and directed by Monty Python's Terry Jones. Described as being about, "aliens, a goofy Brit, a talking dog and buckets of silliness," the project has reached out to Robin Williams to play the dog and Jones' former cohorts John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam to voice the aliens, all of whom are in talks. The film is set to begin production next spring.

Should all of the names be secured, I'm not sure that this film could possibly fail. The only potential weak link in the bunch is Williams, but that's not for his lack of talent, rather his insistence on choosing scripts like Old Dogs. A Monty Python reunion paired with one of the best British comedians working today and a stand-up legend - that's the stuff dreams are made of.

This morning I sat in a roundtable interview with the great Terry Gilliam, who spoke with enthusiasm and immense humor about his new film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. But of course, we also had to ask him about Robert Duvall's recent assertion that he'll be playing Don Quixote in the latest iteration of Gilliam's passion project, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

"Mr. Blabbermouth Duvall, you mean?" Gilliam joked before confirming that he has asked Duvall to play the legendary Spanish adventurer:

Gilliam also reiterated that Johnny Depp is definitely out-- "He's too busy doing swashing and buckling and Tonto-ing," as Gilliam put it, referring to both the Pirates sequel and the Lone Ranger movie that Depp has committed to. There's still no guarantee that the Don Quixote movie will ever happen, but with Duvall on board (as opposed to the star of the original film, Jean Rochefort) he has a bankable American name that could help the movie get funding. Now, if we can only find a Sancho Panza.

While it languished in distribution lingo, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus remained the ultimate mystery, a movie featuring plenty of stars and even Heath Ledger's last performance, but one about which we knew nothing other than that it would be very, very weird.

Now that Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the film, they've made available a slew of images from the film, including our first looks at Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp as part of this strange world. No, I still have no idea what's going on, or how they'll fill in for Ledger. But the images are both visually lovely and somewhat deranged, which makes them a real treat to see.

Click on any of the four below to be sent to our entire gallery, featuring 26 images from the film and behind-the-scenes with Terry Gilliam. I'm partial to the one where Jude Law looks like a crazy man hanging from a hot air balloon. How about you?

For a while The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus seemed destined to be the latest of Terry Gilliam's noble failures, given that Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming and the film struggled to find distribution even after miraculously getting finished. But now with distributor Sony Pictures Classics securely in place, Parnassus will at last hit theaters on Christmas Day.

Coming Soon also reports that the film will open in the UK on October 16, and will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival on September 18, meaning true Gilliam-philes can get a look soon if they're inclined. The Christmas release date could mean one of two things-- "Oscar contender!" or "Getting buried among the Oscar contenders so no one will really notice." Only the advertising campaign will indicate which way Sony is going on this, though it's worth noting that no one who has seen the film so far really thinks it's in the Oscar wheelhouse at all.

In other Parnassus news, the film's Canadian distributor has issued a bizarre embargo in advance of the Toronto festival, according to Variety. Another indication that they're worried about a bomb? Or just run-of-the-mill studio tomfoolery? If you're a Gilliam-is-doomed conspiracy theorist, probably both.

Usually when there's a "so-and-so would love to work with so-and-so" story, it's because a reporter asked some unwitting actor "How would you like to work with Brad Pitt someday?" and the actor, having no choice, responds "I'm a huge fan of Brad's, I'd love to work with him." Because what else are you gonna say? "That jerk can go eat my poo?"

But apparently Terry Gilliam wasn't just pressured into saying he'd like to work with Pixar at a British Film Institute event last week. According to Slashfilm, he extensively praised the quality of Pixar's films, and said he ran into Andrew Stanton at the Wall-E premiere and told him to "hold the door open" for him.

I don't know what I love more-- that Gilliam would possibly animate something for Pixar, or that he was invited to the Wall-E premiere, a film that used the theme music from Brazil in early trailers (see below) and seems at least a little inspired by his notion of a bleak but comical future. The guy's been known to suggest a lot of projects that never come to fruition, and similarly, Pixar doesn't usually show interest in working with directors outside their usual stable. But if there's one director I'd like to see bust down those doors, it's probably Gilliam.

You’d think there’d be a line of studio executives a mile long, clamoring for the chance to distribute Heath Ledger’s last movie. Instead, Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has struggled to find domestic distribution. Last week the film’s first trailer finally debuted amidst a lot of excitement, and maybe that had something to do with at last luring someone on board to get this thing distributed in America. Variety says Sony Pictures is in talks to pick up the film.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that even if they distribute it, you still might not be able to see it. Their plan is to push it out theatrically later this year through Sony Pictures Classics, the company’s independent film distributor. SPC has a bad reputation for burying movies in obscure, metropolitan arthouses; botching their advertising campaign, and then never releasing them any wider. From Variety’s story, it doesn’t sound like Sony really cares if it make any money theatrically. They say it’s all about the lucrative home video market they predict for the film. Unfortunately it’s a Terry Gilliam film, which means it’s very visual, which means it’s probably best seen in a movie theater. Coule be bad news for those of us who don’t live in New York or Los Angeles.

An official announcement is expected this week. We’ll update you with release specifics for Doctor Parnassus as soon as they become available.

Terry Gilliam, you are one tenacious bastard. Nearly a decade after the director's first attempt at a Don Quixote ended in disaster (and was memorably captured in the documentary Lost in La Mancha), the former Monty Python is at it again. Variety reports from Cannes that Gilliam is reviving the project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, with plans to start filming it next spring.

If anything, the project sounds even more difficult this time around. Gilliam still wants Depp to star as a modern-day advertising exec who travels back in time and is mistaken by Don Quixote as trusty sidekick Sancho Panza. But Depp is about as busy as they come, and will have to do a lot of rearranging to make this one work. There's also no Don Quixote lined up to star at present, and I can't imagine there are a lot of actors who would immediately jump on board this one.

And yet, you have to admire Gilliam's dedication. He told Variety, "I'm not so much a filmmaker as someone who gets possessed by an idea and it doesn't leave me until I make the film. I commit myself to it so fully." After all, he survived the death of his lead actor, Heath Ledger, during the filming of The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and is now bringing the film to Cannes. Why should he let a little bad weather and a decade's lapse in filming get in his way this time?