Gilliam Finally Has Funding For DON QUIXOTE, Latest Rewrites Will Make Film More Meta

Terry Gilliam has been trying to get his film project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote made for so long that lead paragraphs equating his quest to do so with Cervantes’ titular hero has become something of a cliche. But that quest may finally be reaching its conclusion. And yes, we are aware that we may have said that before.

The Wrap is reporting that Gilliam has finally secured financing for the project after years of various financial deals falling apart for various reasons and is now planning on having the film in front of cameras be December.

The problems that Gilliam had the first time he mounted a production of his script with Johnny Depp in the lead were recorded in the documentary Lost In La Mancha. Ever since that attempt fell apart just days into principal photography for a variety of reasons, Gilliam has been endeavoring to find the right combination of funding and casting to restart production. Through that time, he saw the process begin to inform the screenplay.

I keep incorporating my own life into it and shifting it. The basic underlying premise of that the version Johnny was involved in was that he actually was going to be transported back to the 17th century, and now it all takes place now, it’s contemporary. It’s more about how movies can damage people.

Our main character actually made a Don Quixote movie a lot earlier in his history and the effect it had on many people wasn’t very nice. Some people go mad, some people turn to drink, some people become whores.

Gilliam has come close to getting his film in production before, so even holds an amount of skepticism about these latest developments, jesting “I’ve done it so many times — or not done it so many times — I’ll believe it when I see it. However, I’m behaving as if it’s all going to happen as planned.”

In the meantime Gilliam’s latest film, The Zero Theroem, which is fantastic by the way, premiers on Video On Demand on August 19th prior to a limited theatrical release on September 19.