While Terry Gilliam is usually game to talk about anything, in recent times he’s been reluctant to get too prophetic about his chances of remounting "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote." A picture once famously cancelled after a horrifically rocky production, as chronicled in the documentary "Lost In La Mancha," it has been subject to numerous reports over the years of proposed start dates and new cast members. Gilliam has soldiered on, trying to make the movie even if destiny seems to have decided it won’t happen. The latest sliver of good news came this summer, when the director revealed that Amazon Studios was now backing the picture with an early 2016 shoot in the cards. Jack O’Connell and John Hurt are set to star. But once again, fate has apparently dealt a blow to those plans.
The Times reports that production on the movie has been delayed due to Hurt’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer over the summer. The 75 year-old actor is currently undergoing treatment, but the film insurer’s reportedly want to wait to see how things turn out before signing off on ‘Quixote.’ And while the director apparently remains positive, Hurt is a bit more sardonic about this latest development.
"Terry seems very optimistic that we will start filming soon. Optimism is a good thing," he told the paper.
Hopefully the delay won’t cause too much of a problem with the start dates, as I can only assume that the window for O’Connell is small given that he’s an in demand, young actor. So, ‘Quixote’ isn’t ready to ride just yet but here’s to Hurt getting healthy and the film going ahead as planned. [via ContactMusic]