Filmonic » Heath Ledger

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus gets US release date

Liam — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:43:41 +0000

Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has had an October release date in countries such as the UK and Australia for a while. Now Sony Classics have set a December 25th release date so that US audiences can see Heath Ledger’s final outing.

The film tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law stepped in to pay tribute to Ledger, and to help finish the film.

Here’s the trailer:

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus trailer

Liam — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:22:21 +0000

We have a new trailer for Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which I am sure most of you know is Heath Ledger’s last film. Filming had not finished when he died and Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law stepped in to pay tribute to him, and help finish the film. We get glimpses of them in this trailer. The film tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will be released on October 16th in the UK, but it still needs to find a distributor in the US.

Jonathan Nolan responds to Dark Knight Oscar snubs

Liam — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:01:54 +0000

The Dark Knight has been nominated in 8 Oscar category’s, including Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor, however Batman fans are a little angry that the film was not nominated for Best Picture and that director Christopher Nolan hasn’t been given a nod. This has lead screenwriter Jonathan Nolan to responded to fans via darkcampaign.com:

“hey — not sure who to address this to as it looks like a collective effort, but I just wanted to pass along my thanks.
It’s truly humbling that you guys would take the time and effort to try to get the film recognized. I, like you, was disappointed that Chris didn’t get some recognition this morning, but for Heath and so many of the people who worked so hard on this thing to get nominated is thrilling.
Any nominations for a comic book movie is a thing of beauty no matter how you slice it, and that takes the sting out a bit. Besides, I’ve been to the big show before, and, like any of these things, it’s a little disappointing. Did you know it’s not even an open bar once the show starts? At least this time I would have remembered to bring a little cash so I could buy myself a drink after losing.
The best part of this experience is seeing other people getting passionate about the film the way that we did. It has been a truly incredible experience. So thank you again.
best,
jonah nolan”

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Teaser Trailer

Liam — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:19:14 +0000

Quick Stop Entertainment have gotten their hands on a rather different teaser trailer for Terry Gilliam’s upcoming film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Most of you may be aware that this was Heath Ledger’s last film before he died, and his role was completed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

The teaser trailer is more of a behind the scenes look at the film, with very little footage and lots of concept drawings and storyboards. Check it out below!

The Dark Knight Returns

Liam — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:33:25 +0000

A movie called The Dark Knight was released a month or two ago (you may have heard of it…it’s about Batman), and to date it has only made around $950 million, so Warner Bros. have decided to rerelease it in January. However, they are not only doing it for the money…

“It’s just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people,” a source told Variety

A reminder for people? Why would we need a reminder? Oh wait…it’s Oscar season…

Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman acknowledged ongoing talks with IMAX executives about the prospect of restoring the film to some number of giant-screen venues in January. It’s uncertain if The Dark Knight also will reappear in conventional theaters at that point.

It looks like Warner Bros are pushing for that Oscar for Ledger!

Aaron Eckhart On Two-Face. Joker Would Have Been In Third Film

Liam — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:02:51 +0000

Aaron Eckhart, who played Two-Face/Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, has revealed that despite speculation Two-face is dead, and he says that Heath Ledger signed on for a third film. From ComingSoon.net

CS/SHH!: Is Harvey Dent alive?
Aaron Eckhart: No. He is dead as a door nail.
CS/SHH!: So he’s not coming back?
Eckhart: He ain’t coming back baby!
CS/SHH!: I was hoping he would.
Eckhart: No. I asked Chris [Nolan] that question and he goes, “You’re dead” before I could even get the question out of my mouth. “Hey Chris, am I?” “You’re dead!” Alright, cool.
CS/SHH!: That’s not a problem in comic book movies. You could still come back.
Eckhart: I think in contract negotiations it’s a problem.
CS/SHH!: So you were never signed on for another film?
Eckhart: No, I’m not coming back. I think unfortunately, Heath [Ledger] was supposed to go on and that didn’t work out. I’m nobody. I’m a cog. I have no say over this sort of stuff. I’m sure that there’s so many other characters that they could whip together. I heard Angelina Jolie was going to be Catwoman or something like that. I thought that was a great idea. I’d like to be in that one.

I suppose we now know why Nolan wanted to finish off the Two-Face storyline instead of ending it when the Joker got captured. It is a shame that they had plans for The Joker to be in the third film but obviously they can no longer happen, unless they recast (which I hope they don’t).

Heath Ledger’s Final Movie Having Trouble Selling

Liam — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:34:09 +0000

Heath Ledger’s latest movie, The Dark Knight is currently sitting in the top 30 highest grossing movies of all time, yet his final movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is not having the same success.

Ledger was half way though filming when he died, and to honor him Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law decided to complete his role. You would think a movie staring those three actors and the fact that it was Ledger’s last film would make distributors fight over it like animals. However, that is not that case.

The biggest problem is director Terry Gilliam, who hasn’t had a hit since Twelve Monkeys back in 1995.

From THR:

“In this market, unless I have a reason to think a movie like this is going to be a slam dunk I’m not going to take a flyer on it, even with Heath Ledger,” one distribution executive said. One specialty exec added few execs at his company had been tracking it.
Financed by Grosvenor Park and produced by Samuel Hadida’s Davis Films, “Parnassus” was said to be close to having footage shown and even a deal made several weeks ago, just as the buzz for “Dark Knight” was reaching fever pitch. But as of late last week, many buyers had yet to see footage.
One longtime distribution guru said “For all the elements in this film, it is a Terry Gilliam picture, and as much as you want a movie of his to be good, you have to be careful.”

Terry Gilliam doesn’t have a very good track record, and the fact that it stars such big actors doesn’t mean it will be any good, and the distributors know that. Although, it would be a shame for Ledger’s last movie to get a small release…and negative reviews.

Terry Gilliam Says Ledger’s Oscar Buzz Is A Publicity Stunt

Liam — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:57:29 +0000

Terry Gilliam, director of Heath Ledger’s last film The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus has said speculation that he will win a posthumous Oscar for his role as The Joker is simply a publicity stunt.

“That’s what Warner Brothers are saying, but they’ll do anything to publicise their film. That’s just what they do and you can’t get upset because it’s bulls**t.
“They’re like a great white shark which devours whatever it can.”

I suppose he could be right, movie studios will take advantage of any situation to get more green. However, Sir Michael Caine recently said he thinks Ledger deserves an Oscar, is he part of the PR campaign too? Or does Terry Gilliam want Ledger to get an Oscar nod for his role in The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus instead?

Batman And Joker Entertainment Weekly Cover

Liam — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:44:33 +0000

Next week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly will feature Batman and The Joker on the front cover. You can read the whole Dark Knight cover story, including interviews with Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan, by going to EW.com.

Heath Ledger Remembered In Dark Knight Credits

Liam — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:40:27 +0000

The credits for The Dark Knight will apparently include:

In memory of our friends
HEATH LEDGER
&
CONWAY WICKLIFFE

Conway Wickliffe is the special-effects technician who was killed last September in a stunt-car accident on set.

In other Dark Knight news, some new stills have appeared online, which can be seen by clicking the image below!

Thanks to Rex for the tip!