Those who pay close attention to Hollywood are often fascinated by "cursed" projects that just can't seem to get off the ground despite having all the pieces in place. Sometimes it just seems impossible that someone wouldn't push projects like these through. Funny enough, it might be true that despite its general ridiculousness, Entourage got this aspect of Hollywood right: no matter who's writing, directing, or starring, a film isn't all the way made until it's actually in front of the audience. Until then, anything can happen.
There are numerous examples of potential blockbuster projects that have been held up by any number of production difficulties, and thus acquired "cursed" labels. Number one on the list might be Angelina Jolie's pet Cleopatra project. Then there are would-be superhero films like Black Widow that just never seem like full priorities. Or sometimes it's a literary adaptation like Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, which has been dubbed "unfilmable" despite the success of other McCarthy adaptations (No Country For Old Men, anybody?).
Another title that makes the list is Don Quixote, or perhaps The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, as the project may ultimately be titled. A sort of passion project (or at this point perhaps a nuisance project) of Terry Gilliam's, this film has been in the works for roughly 20 years — so long that there's actually been a documentary produced about what went wrong with the initial production process!
But some reports from the past few months indicate that Gilliam's Don Quixote film might finally be getting off the ground. Let's take a look at the current climate surrounding the adaptation...
Another title that makes the list is Don Quixote, or perhaps The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, as the project may ultimately be titled. A sort of passion project (or at this point perhaps a nuisance project) of Terry Gilliam's, this film has been in the works for roughly 20 years — so long that there's actually been a documentary produced about what went wrong with the initial production process!
But some reports from the past few months indicate that Gilliam's Don Quixote film might finally be getting off the ground. Let's take a look at the current climate surrounding the adaptation...
Yes, A Producer (And Cast) Are On Board
This is clearly the most encouraging news surrounding the project. It's not just Gilliam claiming he's going to do it (as he did when he partnered with Amazon Studios some time ago). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paulo Branco is in line to produce, taking a gamble on the project that most in Hollywood have to have given up on by now. The report makes note of the original film (which was to star Johnny Depp) as well as a subsequent attempt with Ewan McGregor and Robert Duvall. It also points out the possible casting of John Hurt and Jack O'Connell in the latest attempt, although other reports have pointed to Adam Driver and Michael Palin as the latest to be cast in the film. The Hurt/O'Connell duo seems to be the most legitimate, however, given that Hurt's cancer diagnosis and subsequent all-clear from doctors appears to have been behind the latest hold-up.
Does Anyone Care About Don Quixote?
Sure, it's a seminal work of western literature, but Don Quixote is pretty old fashioned. I don't know about you, but I didn't even see it on a high school or college reading list! So does anyone actually care about this story anymore? It's difficult to say for sure, but there's still some evidence that the public would eat it up. To begin with, literature's goofy knight is actually the subject of a modern video game among Gala's pop culture-related casino games, which also include licensed efforts based on Marvel characters and the like. Frankly, that's a bit random, but a Don Quixote casino game on the same page as Daredevil and Elektra-based slots has to indicate some level of popularity with modern audiences!
And while we're comparing Don Quixote to Marvel heroes in modern pop culture, it's also worth noting that the moviegoing public has shown some interest in buffoonish heroes. Just look at the Deadpool film that came out earlier this year, or Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Flawed, clownish heroes are "in" at the moment, and to some extent that's just what Don Quixote is. He's a surprisingly good fit for modern cinematic appetites.
And while we're comparing Don Quixote to Marvel heroes in modern pop culture, it's also worth noting that the moviegoing public has shown some interest in buffoonish heroes. Just look at the Deadpool film that came out earlier this year, or Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Flawed, clownish heroes are "in" at the moment, and to some extent that's just what Don Quixote is. He's a surprisingly good fit for modern cinematic appetites.
Is There Even A Budget For This?
It's pretty easy to imagine a project that's failed to get off the ground for 20 years looking like poison to Hollywood studios. So even if a producer (like Branco) wants to take a gamble it's a little hard to see a studio coughing up too much money to make it happen. As you'll note in the report about Branco, however, there's actually already an $18.25 million budget in place for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. That sounds nice, but a period drama about armoured knights sounds a great deal more expensive than that — particularly if it has some known names attached (such as John Hurt).
Consider that the last "big budget" film Gilliam directed, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus had a reported $30 million budget — and most would agree that it came out a little bit clumsy. There were extenuating circumstances that time, as the cast and producers decided to finish the film after Heath Ledger's tragic death midway through filming, so naturally some incoherence can be forgiven. Still, by comparison a Don Quixote film with less than $20 million to play with sounds awfully ambitious.
Consider that the last "big budget" film Gilliam directed, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus had a reported $30 million budget — and most would agree that it came out a little bit clumsy. There were extenuating circumstances that time, as the cast and producers decided to finish the film after Heath Ledger's tragic death midway through filming, so naturally some incoherence can be forgiven. Still, by comparison a Don Quixote film with less than $20 million to play with sounds awfully ambitious.
What's It Actually About?
Who knows!? One would assume it has something to do with, well, the man who killed Don Quixote. The Johnny Depp film involved Depp's character being a modern man travelling back in time to join Don Quixote on an epic adventure. And given Gilliam's stubbornness in trying to get the film made, it may be fair to assume that the script and concept haven't changed too much. Then again, there have been so many question marks about this one that we probably ought to just wait and see. Let's just hope it all comes together this time around!