Before the Academy Award winning actor Heath Ledger died, he was part of the film entitled “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus”. The actor only finished filming one third of the movie before he died, so the production was stopped momentarily and it was unknown if they will pursue it now that the lead actor tragically died in January of 2008.
It was a big challenge for the director, Terry Gilliam, to decide to continue filming the movie and how he’s going to substitute the role of Ledger. But Gilliam makes films that are so hallucinatory and surreal that he can even change the actor playing the lead character and still make the story work. Stepping in to the role are Ledger’s friends, the first transformation was Johnny Depp, then Jude Law and finally Colin Farrell. The three A-lister actors did not only agree to finish the film in honor of their friend, but they also donated their salaries to Ledger’s daughter, Matilda, with girlfriend Michelle Williams.
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus” is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It 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. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret.
The movie is set to open on Christmas Day.
Watch the trailer of the movie below.
