The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

This weekend some bittersweet film news hit the wire regarding the last movie Heath Ledger was working on before he tragically died January 22. The film is Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and rather than ceasing production altogether on the film, three actors will step into Ledger's role as "Tony" in the film: Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

Variety writes that in the fantasy film, "Ledger's character steps into three different dimensions, each transporting him into a new world; worlds which will now be inhabitated by Depp, Law, and Farrell."

Good for these guys for stepping up to the plate and taking on such a challenging and delicate task. I'm curious about this whimsical film and I look forward to seeing what these three can do with the part. I hope they can do justice to Heath's last role.

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Heath Ledger's sudden, shocking death yesterday has left several of his current projects up in the air. The biggest among them is this Summer's The Dark Knight, but Ledger was also shooting a film with director Terry Gilliam and was preparing for his directorial debut. Here's some of the latest news:

• The Dark Knight is still on track for its July 18 release as of Tuesday. That film's studio, Warner Bros., issued a statement saying: "The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person.” Variety is reporting that the status of the film's marketing campaign is unclear, as it's built around sinister photos and appearances by The Joker.
• Production on what was supposed to be Ledger's next film after The Dark Knight, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, was reportedly shut down on Tuesday. The movie had just completed shooting in London and relocated to Vancouver for the next leg of production. It's unclear what will happen to the film now, but Ledger — who was the biggest star in the cast, which also includes Tom Waits and Christopher Plummer — had been considered key to its financing. That film's producers have not issued a statement.
• Ledger was also preparing his directorial debut, an adaptation of the novel The Queen's Gambit. According to Variety, Ellen Page had been offered the lead role of a chess prodigy, and Ledger, who was a chess player himself, was going to play a supporting part. His Parnassus director, Terry Gilliam, had said of his talent: "He’s watching everything, and he’s going to be a much better director than I will ever be."

Well folks, it might be time to decide once and for all that Heath Ledger has absolutely no fashion sense. He got all layered up in his favorite fingerless gloves, purple hat and hideous sneakers but this time he added some atrocious knee-high socks on the set of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in London on Sunday. We're hoping this is a rehearsal of some sort since he is in his own clothes and reading papers so maybe he'll have to shave and shower before shooting actually starts. That would be a makeover to look forward to seeing.

Bauer-Griffin