More than maybe any other filmmaker, Terry Gilliam's legacy is as made up of his failed projects as his successes. Still in the former column is the notorious The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. But when we sat down with Gilliam over his latest, The Zero Theorem, he offered up some news on this long-struggling feature as well as an unusual promise to fans. He's got financing; he won't take your money.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote still has not made it through production, despite numerous attempts by Terry Gilliam to get it made. The most famous--or infamous--of these was captured in the revealing behind-the-scenes documentary from 2002, Lost in La Mancha. More than a decade later, the press tour for The Zero Theorem has gotten rumors of the projects revival rumbling again. Initially, Gilliam played coy. When asked where the project stands, he responded, "I don't know at the moment. I've been working on it, but I don't know. Right now I don't know when and if." He later admitted he has financing in place, at least in part.
Considering how financing has been a repeated problem in mounting The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, I asked what many have wondered: Had Terry Gilliam he considered Kickstarter to raise funds? As you can see in the video below, he was friendly but frank about his thoughts on the matter:
"Everybody keeps telling me do Kickstarter. There's something in me that resists it. It seems like it's taking advantage of the fans…I mean everybody's doing Kickstarters now. People are just throwing money out there (in support of these campaigns). I hope some of them (donors) are getting something back, something in return rather than just a signed autograph from somebody."
I suggested that some (myself included) might consider a new Terry Gilliam movie as the something they get back. To that, he said, "That--you're right. You've got a bigger picture than I do. (Laughs.)"
He went on to acknowledge that Kickstarter has worked great for the Veronica Mars movie, and that fans seem eager to give to such projects, "which'd be handy." But still, he's reluctant. Finally, he allowed, "I'm keeping that in reserve. We've got money for the film (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote). But if we need more money I might go to Kickstarter 'cause that’s a quick one."
See Gilliam's full thoughts on Kickstarter in the video below:
Look for more from my interview with Terry Gilliam tomorrow, as The Zero Theorem hits theaters.
