Financing Has Collapsed For Terry Gilliam's 'Don Quixote'; 3D 'Time Bandits' Conversion Planned?

I feel for Terry Gilliam. He just can't seem to catch a break, no matter the project. And in the case of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, the film's history has been more storied than most. He's been trying to get the movie made for over ten years, and even got as far as filming the thing (with Johnny Depp in the lead role, no less), when the entire production went to hell and was forced into cancellation. These mishaps were captured in detail in the depressing 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, and I've been wary about Gilliam's attempts to return to the project ever since.

And for good reason, it seems.

A month ago, Gilliam admitted that there had been some financial complications with the movie, but wrote it off as "a little hiccup". Well, either that "little hiccup" expanded pretty rapidly, or he was seriously downplaying the severity of what was at stake.

Variety caught up to Terry Gilliam at the Deauville American Film Festival, and they were able to find out what was really going on with Don Quixote.

The financing collapsed about a month and a half ago. I shouldn't be here. The plan was to be shooting 'Quixote' right now.

So once again, a planned shoot for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has fallen through. Regardless, Gilliam was insistent that the cast is still ready to go, and optimistic about the project's future.

Robert Duvall is Quixote, Ewan McGregor is also there, and we are looking for new financing right now. Don Quixote gives me something to look forward to, always. Maybe the most frightening thing is to actually make the film.

How he's still able to remain so positive in midst of all this is a mystery, but it probably helps that he has other prospects to look forward to, such as a proposed 3D conversion for his time-travelling '80s adventure-comedy Time Bandits.

We are in discussions to make a 3D version of the film '[Time] Bandits.' That will not change anything in the film itself will remain the same and if I think it serves as some passages in 'Alice [In Wonderland'], the 3D should work well. Anyway, I'll have fun with it!

I've included the trailer below, which as io9 describes it, is "quite possibly the finest movie trailer in cinema history". They're not too far off.

[via Mister T's Movie Clic via Collider]