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Heath Ledger's last film is in danger
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Heath Ledger - "Imaginarium" style
American viewers may have to wait a while to see Heath Ledger's last performance captured in Terry Gilliam's art-house feature The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the late actor's final role is taking much longer than expected to entice a US distributor. Thanks to the odd and quirky tones of Gilliam's films (see Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for details) which have a hard time appealing to the mainstream pallet, Ledger's Imaginarium could be in danger of never seeing the light of day here in the States.
Don't fret Ledger fanatics, chances of that are unlikely.
"A number of U.S. buyers during the summer and early fall were said to be interested in acquiring stateside rights -- Lionsgate and Overture were reportedly among the potential suitors -- but word of a potential deal quickly quieted down.
That has fueled all sorts of rumors in indie circles, ranging from dissent over finances on the producers' side to an extended and messy post-production session to outsized expectations on the part of filmmakers.
Many of those rumors have yet to be substantiated. But the film has nonetheless run into more concrete obstacles."
Wouldn't the success of Heath Ledger's final performance be an almost certainty?
"And as much as buyers might covet the Ledger aspect, the pic still presents a marketing challenge. Gilliam has grown more experimental in recent years, and experts say that retailing "Parnassus" as a Ledger film risks running a word-of-mouth problem with general audiences unaccustomed to that kind of material.
A U.S. deal is expected shortly, with a mini-major or larger indie expected to make the play. (The movie does already have a deal for Mandate International/Lionsgate to release it in the U.K., where Gilliam tends to fare better, and is expected to open there in the summer. Other territories, from Japan to Spain, have been presold to international distribs as well.)"
Ledger died during the middle of production, which left the film in a bit of a quandary. What do you do without your star? Similar to the production problems felt by The Crow when Brandon Lee died before filming could be completed, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was left in a hole; an expensive hole to the tune of $20 million.
No problem. Hire A-Listers to fill the void.
"...the project's fate was thrown into question until Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp stepped in, with all three part of an elaborate workaround that has the actors playing different parts of Ledger's role."
No telling how long fans will have to wait for their Ledger treasure.
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