'The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus' Hits The U.K. In October Via Lionsgate

Is Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus,” featuring the last onscreen appearance of Heath Ledger, finally moving closer to a U.S. release date?

As previously promised by the capricious director, ‘Parnassus,’ is racking up dates in the fall in Europe. There’s a November 11 release scheduled in France, a December 3 release set for Germany and Switzerland, apparently a September 4 date in Italy, and now, the film is arriving in the U.K. sometime during the month of October, via the British division of Liongsate (no date is specified yet).

Does this mean, Lionsgate U.S. is a candidate to put it out Stateside and will it be arriving around the same time? Our guess is definitely, yes, if only because it feels like the right size of mini studio to release the film. From all account, ‘Parnassus,’ has small commercial prospects and most major studios have already passed on it. Sony Pictures Classics were in the mix, but even that small indie, mini-major seems to have also passed. This leaves places like IFC, Dimension (who has zero money, forget it) and Lionsgate.

Don’t be surprised if you hear an announcement from the same studio with a similar release date. Sure, it’s still just speculation on our parts, but it’s a pretty good bet.