After 17 Years Terry Gilliam Finally Finishes Shooting THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE
After over 17 years of trying to bring this film to life, writer and director Terry Gilliam has wrapped production on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote! It's pretty awesome to see that after all these years Gilliam finally finished this passion project of his. This film production has been plagued with problems for years, there's even a documentary called Lost in La Mancha that documents all the issues that the film faced the first time Gilliam tried to make it. That doc is required veiwing for any hardcore film fans out there.
The movie features a wonderful cast that includes Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean films) as Don Quixote, Stellan Skarsgård (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and Olga Kurylenko (Oblivion).
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote tells the story of a deluded old man who is convinced he is Don Quixote, and who mistakes Toby, an advertising executive, for his trusty squire, Sancho Panza. The pair embark on a bizarre journey, jumping back and forth in time between the 21st and magical 17th century. Gradually, like the infamous knight himself, Toby becomes consumed by the illusory world and unable to determine his dreams from reality. The tale culminates in a phantasmagorical and emotional finale where Toby takes on the mantle of Don Quixote de la Mancha.
Gilliam offered the following statement regarding the completion of the film:
“Don Quixote is a dreamer, an idealist, and a romantic, determined not to accept the limitations of reality, marching on regardless of setbacks, as we have done. We’ve been at it so long that the idea of actually finishing shooting this ‘clandestine’ film, is pretty surreal. Any sensible person would have given up years ago but sometimes pig-headed dreamers win in the end, so thank you to all of the ill paid fantasists and believers who have joined to make this longstanding dream a reality!’”
I can't wait to see this movie. I hope that it turns out the way that he hopes, especially after all the craziness that he went through to try and get it made. Amazon Studios is set to distribute the film, but there's no release date yet. I'm just happy that Gilliam finally did it!