The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus coming soon

Writer/director Terry Gilliam (The Brothers Grimm, Twelve Monkeys, Brazil, Time Bandits) has returned to London from Vancouver to shoot miniatures and start post-production on his modern-day fantasy adventure, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.

The elaborate visual effects, drawn from Gilliam’s own imagination, are being brought to life by Peerless Camera Company, the London-based optical house which worked with the director on “Brothers Grimm” and which delivered cutting-edge visuals to such recent successes as “United 93” and “Casino Royale”.

Mandate International is continuing brisk sales activity on the picture at Cannes. Helen Lee-Kim, President of International at Mandate, expects all international territories to be sold by the end of the market. Among the biggest deals in Cannes, Hoyts have acquired for Australia, Lionsgate has nabbed the U.K. rights for itself, and the Japanese rights have gone to Showgate.

Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) has the extraordinary gift of inspiring the imaginations of others. Helped by his traveling theatre troupe, including his sarcastic and cynical sidekick Percy (Verne Troyer) and versatile young player Anton (recent BAFTA-winner Andrew Garfield), Parnassus offers audience members the chance to transcend mundane reality by passing through a magical mirror into a fantastic universe of limitless imagination. However, Parnassus’ magic comes at a price. For centuries he’s been gambling with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) who is coming to collect his prize – Parnassus’ precious daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole) on her upcoming 16th birthday.

Oblivious to her rapidly approaching fate, Valentina falls for Tony (Heath Ledger), a charming outsider with motives of his own. In order to save his daughter and redeem himself, Parnassus makes one final bet with Mr. Nick which sends Tony (played during his several visits to the world beyond the mirror by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell) and Valentina and the entire theatre troupe on a ride of twists and turns, in and out of London and the Imaginarium’s spectacular landscape.

The film began principal photography at the beginning of December in London, where Gilliam shot dramatic scenes featuring Parnassus, his company and their imposing horse-drawn home cum theatre against a wide range of the city’s familiar landmarks. On completion of these present-day sequences, the production moved to Bridge Studios near Vancouver in Canada for seven weeks of blue-screen photography, creating the epic grandeur of the Imaginarium.