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This has been both fun and disturbing to watch at the same time. At some point yesterday, Quint over at Ain’t it Cool News posted an item about a rumor that was starting to make the rounds about how Terry Gilliam might be able to work around Heath Ledger’s absence from the remainder of the “Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” shoot …

As Quint himself notes, the rumor appears to have started on the IMDB message board (where, as everyone knows, basically anyone can post anything whether it’s true or not), so, not really a valid source. But the idea itself was interesting enough to warrant posting and I agree 100%. It’s a brilliant idea: Johnny Depp or some other (or multiple) actor(s) taking over the rest of Ledger’s role, which fits in with the dreamlike quality of the subject matter.

So then I wake up this morning and make the Internet rounds and find that this is now being reported as real news, my first reaction is, “that’s excellent, so the item on IMDb was true.” However, clicking on a few of the news articles, I find that most are not backed-up by any sort of fact or are linking to this Sun article which states “a studio source said …” well, that studio source is just the same quote from the IMDB message boards re-hashed — reportedly someone related with costume on the production, although I can’t find any clear evidence that this is true.

I think, if I was working on the film and I got a call from the director outlining a new creative direction, my first response, after hanging up the phone, would not be to log onto the IMDB message board and let everyone know what was going on. Uhm, maybe I’d keep my mouth shut and get cracking on some work?

Now the news is everywhere and it’s gathering a life of its own, moving from Johnny Depp, who the internet community at large has decided is too busy, to the likes of Edward Furlong, to even an ILM-created CGI composite that’s capable of extrapolating the acting style of Heath Ledger.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope there is a second life to Gilliam’s project, he’s had more than his share of bad luck, but when you come right down to it, it’s a Terry Gilliam film (read: quirky, strange, and ultimately brilliant), and no studio or group of investors is going to funnel all the money in the world into completing it when it would be easier to just cash in the production insurance. From what I understand when the project was first announced, Ledger’s involvement was the thing that the finances hinged on (not the combined talents of Gilliam and actors Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits), and now that he’s been removed from the equation it’s simple math, unfortunately.

Cudos to whoever it was who “leaked” this story in the first place. You’ve got a lot of attention for yourself and lifted a few spirits desperately in need of lifting.

Related posts:

1. The Fate of Ledger’s Role in Parnassus
   (via AICN) Finally, some fairly definite word on the fate of Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and how...
2. More on Gilliam’s Parnassus
   I love Terry Gilliam to death and had a huge amount of respect for Heath Ledger, but I swear I’m...
3. Gilliam’s Project Cancelled After Ledger’s Death
   Tragedy compounded by tragedy, Twitch is reporting that Terry Gilliam’s current film, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” has been shut...