Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem

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After the untimely death of Heath Ledger during the filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), it would seem that was the final straw for Terry Gilliam, he was a spent force, and he had now proven what an insurance liability he was. This and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote getting shut down in 2000 after 6 days due to various incidents would ensure no financier would touch him with a barge pole ever again. Yet, that's what the press would have you believe, he's been very busy indeed at the moment. After Doctor Parnassus opened, he went off to the Talladega Superspeedway in North Carolina to do a short film for AMP Energy Juice called The Legend of Hallowdega, then he went off to Italy to a short film for pasta company Garofalo Pasta called The Wholly Family, which was a loving homage to Fellini and the Italian cinema of old. However, he still wanted to make another feature film, and has never given up hope on Don Quixote, and he's been working on an adaptation of Paul Auster's Mr. Vertigo. Indeed, when it was announced he's gone to Bucharest in Romania, people thought it was to make Mr. Vertigo, but no, he'd revived a project he'd been offered in 2008. It seemed it had fallen by the wayside, but no, Terry Gilliam has found funding for The Zero Theorem, and it looks set to be a long awaited return to sci-fi after Brazil (1985) and Twelve Monkeys (1995)!! Very Happy

The film stars Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth (brilliant name), a brilliant yet eccentric computer genius, who lives a reclusive existence. He works for a mysterious company known as the Management. He lives in an abandoned church, but he has visits from Bainsley, who offers virtual sex and Bob, the rebelious son of the leader of the Management. All the while, Leth is trying to work out the Zero Theorem, a search for the purpose of existence.

This sounds like pure, unadulterated Gilliam, right up his street with eccentric characters and a society gone to pot. It's great that he's found some funding for this, and filming starts in October for 36 days. It's a quickie, but it'll be exciting to see what Gilliam can conjure up. It was offered to him back in 2008, while he was in post-production on Doctor Parnassus, back then Billy Bob Thornton was attached to the lead, and Oscar winning producer Richard D. Zanuck was going to produce it. However, Gilliam was so engrossed in Parnassus, he couldn't break free to do this one. After Zanuck died, his son Dean, revived the project, as it's what his father would have wanted, he asked Gilliam again, and he said yes, feeling he'd been away from making films for too long since Parnassus. Gilliam had been in Romania talking to companies there about doing Mr. Vertigo, but when this came with funding, he offered them this, and they said yes. But, it's a real coup that they have Christoph Waltz on board, who just a few years ago was an unknown Austrian actor, then Quentin Tarantino discovered him for Inglourious Basterds, and it made him a star, now he's in demand, appearing in The Green Hornet, Carnage and now Django Unchained. Waltz and Gilliam working together is an irresistable combination that no-one can say no to.

Terry Gilliam explains what attracted to him to The Zero Theorem and what to expect!!

Watch The Legend of Hallowdega here!!

Watch The Wholly Family here!!

This will be the best film of 2013. In fact, screw all other films out that year, this will be superior. Burn and destroy all the competition, they don't stand a chance against Gilliam's new one. This is the sort of films that should be made, not sodding remakes or prequels and sequels to films that were useless in the first place. We should be fortunate to have someone like Gilliam in the world, no-one does films like he does. The Zero Theorem will be a brilliant addition to his great filmography, and even at the age of 71, he shows no signs of stopping. He's still touring with his operatic take on The Damnation of Faust by Hector Berlioz, which was once described as 'unstageable'. But he proved them wrong, and that and his short films have tied him over since Parnassus until now, it's kept him fresh and from disappearing from directing altogether. Even if you don't like Gilliam, you have to admit, no-one makes films like he does!! Very Happy