Terry Gilliam – ex-Pythonite and visionary filmmaker – made his first Comic-Con appearance today in Hall H and presented clips from his latest film, “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.” The film has gained attention for being the last one to feature Heath Ledger, who died during the shoot. In order to finish the film, Gilliam got Colin Farrell, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp to play variations on Ledger’s character. But Gilliam gently but firmly pointed out that this is not a Heath Ledger film but a film about Dr. Parnassus, a man who strikes a deal with the devil for immortality.
Gilliam was warmly welcomed by the 6400 plus crowd in Hall H. When asked about the projects he chooses he said they choose him and because he makes films about “ideas that I don’t want to be fiddled with” he tends to have a hard time financing his projects. He said that the film grew out of the fact that his previous film “Tidelands” didn’t do well at the box office and he wondered if people just weren’t interested in the stories he wanted to tell. As for where he gets his ideas from, he said, “Whenever I run out of ideas I don’t sleep [because] not sleeping does wonders for your imagination.” When asked why his films were so dark he said he didn’t feel that they were, he just tries to fill them with everything he sees in life both light and dark. After all, he added, “I’m just trying to be an honest documentary filmmaker.” Good news for fans who have been mourning the fact that he never finished his “Don Quixote” film – Gilliam has gotten the rights back. Now all he needs is money and people who won’t fiddle with his ideas.
