Terry Gilliam Page 3

After nearly twenty years of trying to get it off the ground, director Terry Gilliam claims that he’s finally getting the chance to make his Don Quixote movie – and apparently, the success of the Star Wars movie is to thank for it.

His latest proposal for the project, which has reportedly been unsuccessfully launched on seven separate occasions going back nearly two decades, involves Adam Driver portraying a character based on the Spanish adventurer’s loyal servant Sancho Panza, while Gilliam’s old ‘Monty Python’ colleague Michael Palin is to play Don Quixote himself.

Terry Gilliam at the Cannes Film Festival 2016

Continue reading: Terry Gilliam Confirms 'Don Quixote' Movie Will Finally Be Made This Year - With Adam Driver To Thank

The English National Opera has been placed in special measures by Arts Council England, effectively being ordered to improve or risk being removed from the national portfolio given regular funding. On Tuesday (February 10), the national council aired concerns over the organisation's governance.

Terry Gilliam was a director at the English National Opera

The English National Opera suffered two high profile exits in recent months - first, chairman Martyn Rose stood down after a warning, and then executive director Henriette Gotz stepped down after disagreements with artistic director John Berry.

Continue reading: English National Opera Told To Improve Or Face Huge Funding Axe

Communications watchdog Ofcom is investigating the Monty Python live show after bad language was broadcast before the watershed. Many of the complaints about the farewell show on 'Gold' concerned offensive language though some fans had aired their dismay that other areas of swearing were cut.

The Monty Python live show has come in for criticism

An Ofcom spokesman said: "After receiving complaints about the broadcast of the most offensive language before the watershed, Ofcom is investigating a live performance of Monty Python on Gold."

Continue reading: They're Very Naughty Boys: Ofcom Probes Monty Python Swearing

Amongst the post-Oscars films is The Zero Theorem, which stars the double Oscar-winning Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth, a computer genius living as a recluse in a dystopian, Orwellian sci-fi world in which the shady figure of ‘Management’ calls the shots.

Christoph Waltz shaved his head and eyebrows to star in 'Zero Theorem'

Leth lives alone in an abandoned chapel, working towards his ultimate hacking goal: to find the meaning of life. In other words: to solve the "Zero Theorem", a mathematical formula derived from Big Crunch theory.

Continue reading: 'Zero Theorem' Difficult To Pin: Critics Divided Ahead Of U.K Release

With his latest film The Zero Theorem, Terry Gilliam returns to the ramshackle future he first visited in his now-classic 1985 film Brazil and then again in 1995's Twelve Monkeys.

Ben Whishaw in 'The Zero Theorem'

Known for his flights of fancy in movies like Life of Brian, Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Gilliam's rampant imagination is well-suited to stories set in the chaos of a future dystopia where society seems to be crushing the independent spirit of the central character.

Continue reading: The Zero Theorem: Is Terry Gilliam Back To 'Twelve Monkeys' Form?

Terry Gilliam's latest effort The Zero Theorem follows a computer hacker and his ultimate goal to discover the reason for human existence. A shadowy organisation known only as The Management are keen to interrupt his work and send a lusty love interest to distract him from his potentially ground-breaking work.

Christoph Waltz [L], Peter Stormare [Centre] and Ben Whishaw [R] in 'The Zero Theorem'

It all sounds very...Gilliam...though from the polarizing critical reception, we're no clearer as to whether the 73-year-old has made his finest movie yet, or another scatty missed opportunity.

Continue reading: 'The Zero Theorem': Terry Gilliam Trapped In His Own Fantasy? [Trailer + Pictures]

Fourteen years ago the question of which director would be responsible for bringing the 'Harry Potter' franchise to the big screen was one of the most debated film topics. Chris Columbus got the job, but Terry Gilliam wanted it and the director expressed his annoyance at not be given the role at the time. Now with the benefit of hindsight who really would have been better at taking on the unenviable task of directing 'Harry Potter'.

Could Terry Gilliam have done a better job than Chris Columbus?

Who ever was given the task of bringing ‘Harry Potter’ to life onscreen for the first time was going to be carrying the hopes and expectations of millions children all over the world. This meant that the task of picking the first director would not be easy. Among the names talked about early on, were Steven Spielberg, (who wished to animate the films), Tim Robbins and M. Night Shyamalan. However Rowling’s personal pick was Terry Gilliam, whom the author was a fan of. Gilliam said in 2006 that he was the ‘perfect guy’ to direct ‘Harry Potter’, but the gig went to Chris Columbus.

Gilliam definitely had an impressive back catalogue, especially in the fantasy genre. Looking at ‘Time Bandits’ and his later works ‘Brothers Grimm’ and ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’, it’s clear Gilliam would have had the imagination to bring the ‘Harry Potter’ books to life on screen. Columbus’s previous work was less impressive. Yes ‘Home Alone’, ‘Home Alone 2’ and ‘Mrs Doubtfire.’ were box office hits aimed at a younger audience, but they were a far cry from a story with as much depth and imagination as 'Harry Potter'. What was in Columbus’s favour though was that he had written two eighties cult classics, ‘Gremlins’ and ‘The Goonies’.

What went against Gilliam was more his reputation especially when it came to budgetary matters.
Gilliam had a reputation of making movies with extremely inflated budgets, for example ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen’, which cost around $46 million to make and earned only about $8 million at the box office. This meant it was incredibly unlikely that Wanner Brothers would take a risk with Gilliam, especially as they were lining up the ‘Harry Potter’ movies to be a huge money making franchise.

Continue reading: Could Terry Gilliam Have Directed Harry Potter?

The eagerly-awaited Monty Python stage show has been extended from one to five days, scheduled for early July next year. The move to add more live dates to the list came as organisers announced that the first show at London's O2 Arena sold out in 43.5 seconds, according to Sky News, giving modern pop bands a run for their money.

Tickets For The Monty Python One-Off Show Sold Out Almost Instantly.

However, it's easy to see why there was so much clamouring for tickets when they went on sale early this morning; the shows at the O2 will be the first time the comedy unit have performed together since 2009 when they celebrated their 40th anniversary with a special show in New York.

Continue reading: Monty Python Live Tickets Sell Out In Just 43 Seconds, More Shows Announced

They say timing is everything when it comes to comedy, although that logic applies to more then a well-delivered joke, it would seem. The cast of Monty Python, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin, 70 – otherwise known as Monty Python – are reuniting for a stage show, The Sun reports.

The announcement comes just before Christmas, with tickets no doubt going on sale in time for many dads to see an envelope under the tree come December 25th, but Jones isn’t coy about why he wants to get the gang back together for the show.

"We're getting together and putting on a show - it's real," Jones told the BBC. "I'm quite excited about it. I hope it makes us a lot of money. I hope to be able to pay off my mortgage!"

Continue reading: Monty Python Back Together For Stage Show - Just In Time For Christmas

The Venice Film Festival 2013 boasts one of the most intriguing movie line-ups of the year, with two fallen heroes of cinema coming in from the cold and testing out new material after underwhelming efforts last time out.

Terry Gilliam and Jonathan Glazer will screen their new movies, The Zero Theorem and Under the Skin.

Gilliam hasn't been seen since 2009's poorly received The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, while Sexy Beast director Glazer was scolded by the box-office almost a decade ago with Birth.

Continue reading: Forgotten Men Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Glazer Set For Venice Film Festival

An enigmatic, mysterious man dubbed the 'seventh Python' is suing the stars of Monty Python for the cash they made while performing in the musical, Spamalot, a spin off from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Sky News reports. 

Mark Forstater - who is much less enigmatic now we know his name - is the man behind the case, which is to be heard over 5 days. He - the producer of the 1975 comedy hit - claims that he is due more money from the musical spin off. The court heard that "for financial purposes" Mr Forstater should be treated as "the seventh Python". Posters for the musical call it "a new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture," and due to its fantastic success, the brand has been subject to numerous merchandising opportunities, which has boosted the Python's finances considerable, with Michael Palin describing it as his "pension plan". Mr Forstater is suing all five Pythons but John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, who live abroad are not expected to give evidence. The sixth member of the team, Graham Chapman, died in 1989.

The suit will cite an agreement made back in 1974, which will entitle Forstater to a great deal more money from the recent success of the brand. This enlarged figure is thought to be able to swell to £1m. 

The producer of Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Mark Forstater - is suing the remaining members of Monty Python over royalty rights to the stage show Spamalot. Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin are all due to give evidence at London’s High Court over the next few days. Terry Gilliam and John Cleese will most likely not attend the five-day court case, as they're based overseas. Graham Chapman passed away in 1989.

The popular stage musical Spamalot is described as being “lovingly ripped off” from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail and currently Forstater receives one fourteenth of a share of 50% of merchandising revenues. His lawyer, Tom Weisselberg, is arguing that his client should be considered as the ‘seventh Python’ and should therefore receive one seventh of the income. The Pythons are accused of “failing to pay Mr Forstater monies he says are owed to him under an agreement reached with PMP back in 1974.”

Mr Forstater was declared bankrupt in June, though last month, his bankruptcy was annulled and according to the BBC, “he entered an independent voluntary arrangement (IVA) to deal with his debts.” Spamalot was written by Eric Idle and premiered on Broadway in 2005. The show has won three Tony awards and took $1 million in its opening week on Broadway.

Lil Wayne debuted the video for 'No Worries' this week, featuring a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas style narrative that sees Weezy and his producer pal Detail taking a surreal trip through Sin City, mirroring the famous journey taken by Raoul Duke and Dr Gonzo.

However, whereas Hunter S Thompson's depicted the darkest depths of the American Dream, Lil Wayne just has plenty of fun. Which is fine. "That was my main thing," Wayne told MTV News following the premiere on MTV First, "I told all my friends, I told everybody 'We don't have no script, this video [we] don't have a time to be there, we're just going to shoot and have fun,' and that's what we did." The rapper says he hopes fans of Thompson's classic gonzo novel will appreciate his tribute (we're not sure Terry Gilliam will), saying, "Well, we did [the] 'Lollipop' [video] in Vegas, and we did that for the simple reason where I think at that time I had never shot a video in Vegas.We did this video in Vegas because the treatment played off the movie 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' We didn't really follow any script or anything; I just saw the movie, really enjoyed the movie, and I told [director] Colin [Tilley] I was interested in the movie and he wrote a spoof to it, and we shot it."

Watch Lil Wayne's video for No Worries below. Are you feeling Weezy's Hunter S Thompson homage?

Continue reading: Lil Wayne Debuts Fear And Loathing Tribute 'No Worries' Video

Damon Albarn and filmmaker Terry Gilliam are leading a campaign to attract more youngsters to the opera, encouraging first-timers to ditch the tuxedo and dicky-bow in favour of wear jeans and trainers. Anticipating that the youth of today will no doubt require a stern drink before and ideally after the show, Albarn also promised “club-style bars” for all!

The pair are just two of the numerous public faces for ‘Undress for the Opera’ – a new scheme launched by the English National Opera which will offer shows such as La Traviata and Don Giovanni to new audiences. Tickets will be considerably cheaper than the normal rates (just £25 for the very best seats in the house), while a post-show party will also be laid on, complete with cast and crew members. Bars at the London Coliseum will be transformed with beer promotions and operatic-themed cocktails and Gilliam even takes the mickey out of the whole thing in his tongue-in-cheek ‘opera etiquette guide’, “I thought opera was for a bunch of old farts - the bourgeoisie in dinner jackets. I thought it was an art form for the rich and successful and almost dead,” he writes, adding, “Thank God the English National Opera is housed in the Coliseum, because it's an old music hall and not an opera house. Another great thing about the English National Opera is that the operas are in English so there's no excuse for not turning up, English-speakers.”

Registration for the scheme opens on Wednesday (October 3, 2012) opens today at www.eno.org/undress and applicants must state whether or not they have attended the opera before.