Finally!
Since it screened for potential buyers last Mat at the Cannes Film Festival, Terry Gilliam’s latest film, The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus, has been searching for a studio to step up and distribute the film in the United States. Well, Sony has manned up and is currently in final talks to bring the movie to theaters as early as by the end of the year via their Sony Pictures imprint.
SlashFilm speculated yesterday that Sony would be picking up the picture with the intention of releasing Parnassus theatrically on Christmas Day. Today, Variety has confirmed that the studio is close to finalizing a deal, though an official announcement is expected later this week or early next week. As is usual with Variety, no credit was given to SlashFilm for doing the initial legwork on the story.
This is exciting news, as it has been years since Gilliam has had a film that truly reflects his directorial vision receive a decent theatrical distribution. His last film, 2005’s challenging Tideland, only screened in a small handful of cities. He also saw The Brothers Grimm released that year, but that film was severely compromised by studio chief Harvey Weinstein, who fought with Gilliam on a number of creative issues great and small. Before that was 1998’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, a film which Gilliam stepped in to direct at the last minute. While 12 Monkeys (1995) and The Fisher King (1991) bear the director’s indelible visual stamp, they originated within the studios that released them. Has it really been since 1988’s The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen since we’ve had a film that Gilliam has both scripted and directed? Hopefully, Sony will release this at Christmas, as this would be the best present fans could get this year.
