It’s been ten years since Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) first got the idea to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and cast Johnny Depp in one of the lead roles.
The project has never gotten off the ground and this time around Depp said he does not have the time to do it. He will be filming the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie at the same time as Gilliam’s latest kick at the can.
Now Terry Gilliam announced he found an actor to replace Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor. According to Empire, he will star alongside Robert Duvall.
The director says, "Robert Duvall is one of the greats, no question – and he can ride a horse! And Ewan has gotten better over the years. He was wonderful in The Ghost Writer. There’s a lot of colours to Ewan that he’s not been showing recently and it’s time for him to show them again. He’s got a great sense of humour and he’s a wonderful actor. He’s wonderfully boyish and can be charming – when he flashes a smile, everybody melts."
The script has been modified over the last ten years. McGregor’s character will now be a director or ad man who gets caught up in Don Quixote’s game and ends up becoming his Sancho Panza.
Shooting should begin in September.
Ewan McGregor will be appearing next in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang coming to theatres on August 20. The film also stars Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson.