Last
week the web buzzed slightly when it was hit by a teaser image for a teaser
image. The reason: it was the first official look at any part of Terry
Gilliam’s (hopefully!) next movie. I didn’t run it because we’ve been awash in Parnassus
speculation and adding a preview of a production still seemed less like signal
and more like noise.
But now the official site has the full image and it’s pretty beautiful. It
shows the traveling stage owned by Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer, you’ll remember)
on one of the London locations where shooting took place last year. The look
calls back to Baron Munchausen more than anything else, which is
quite intriguing. One of Gilliam’s almost-failures, Munchausen is
a polarizing film, but one with a personality all it’s own. I’m more than
willing to gamble on Parnassus if Gilliam is shooting for a tone
as eccentric as that.
Click here
to see the Parnassus proscenium in full-res.
Incidentally, in the Tom Waits section of our own (trouble at the) rumor mill,
supposedly there are plans afoot for a Waits tour this summer, and they hinge
to some extent upon the schedule for this film. Waits has bailed on more than
one movie in the past few years, and I’m already beginning to wonder if we’ll
hear about his exit from Parnassus before long. I really hope
not, but the old man’s made music his first calling (rightly) and has had no
qualms in the past about prioritizing it before other projects.