I won't go into great detail about the bad luck and mishaps that have hampered-down Terry Gilliam's passion project "The Man who Killed Don Quixote" for the better part of three decades now. At some point, it seemed like the cursed project, which finished production on June 4th and is now practically completed in the editing room, was on course to be released this year with even a Cannes premiere booked in advance. After all, they most definitely resolved the last setback, John Hurt's death, which was settled with Gilliam regular Jonathan Pryce taking over the role. but legal issues were indicating that Gilliam wouldn't be there.
Gilliam to the The New York Times:
“Well, we’ve almost finished the cut, we’re just fiddling now, figuring out a few things here and there so it’s pretty much what it is. We’ve got still months of work to do on visual effects, sound, music. But as far as the tale, it’s pretty tight now and it’s surprisingly wonderful. I always hesitate to get too optimistic or too excited about the work I’m doing,” he told The Times. “I’d rather try to stay cynical and slightly distant from it. When you fall in love with something, it’s painful when it doesn’t work for everybody else. But all the people who’ve seen it so far — they used the words, ‘We’re in love with this.’ So let’s see if they’re right.”
Yep, things weren't lookin' quite rosy for Gilliam that is until today.
Cannes has announced that "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" will premiere out of competition at the 71st edition of the festival which will happen next month.
What if the whole thing is a huge prank 20 years in the making?
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.