Terry Gilliam Wraps ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ After 17 Years In The Making

Director Terry Gilliam has finally wrapped production on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which has been in the works for 17 years.

TERRY GILLIAM COMPLETES DON QUIXOTE PROJECT

Gilliam has gotten so stuck on this project over the years that a documentary about his efforts was even completed before this film (called The Man Who Shot Don Quixote). The end product stars Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, and Olga Kurylenko, and is inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ literary classic Don Quixote, about a foolish man who longs to be a knight, and famously sword-fights against windmills he’s mistaken for enemies.

Previous attempts at this film saw such names as Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Robert Duvall, Jack O’Connell, and John Hurt attached. “Don Quixote is a dreamer, an idealist and a romantic, determined not to accept the limitations of reality, marching on regardless of setbacks, as we have done,” Gilliam has said. “We’ve been at it so long that the idea of actually finishing shooting this ‘clandestine’ film, is pretty surreal. Any sensible person would have given up years ago but sometimes pig-headed dreamers win in the end, so thank you to all of the ill paid fantasists and believers who have joined to make this longstanding dream a reality!”

His woes, however, may not be over. About a year after the project was announced, French sales company Alfama called the film “illegal” because CEO Paulo Branco claimed he had the rights to the film. “Señor Branco is tilting at windmills,” said a statement from the film’s producers. “He has no rights whatsoever in Don Quixote.”

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is produced by Gerardo Herrero, Mariela Besuievsky, Amy Gilliam, Tornasol Films, Kinology, Recorded Picture Company, Entre Chien et Loup, and Ukbar Films. Kinology will handle worldwide sales, and Amazon Studios has the distribution rights for the US, Canada, and the UK. Telemunchen has them for Germany and Australia.