So...What's The Deal With Heath Ledger's Final Film?
Posted on Tue Feb 24th, 2009 11:48am PDT By X17 Staff
After winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, the late Heath Ledger has been on everyone's mind lately. He was absolutely brilliant in The Dark Knight, but there hasn't been much discussion about his final film role in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - until now.
According to the Risky Business Blog, Heath's sister Kate told reporters backstage at the Oscars that her family is very much "in the loop" on her brother's final movie. Kate said, "We've seen a little bit of the footage. I think it's going to be amazing."
Heath died while the film was still in production, but Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp were brought on board as part of an "elaborate workaround," in which they played different parts of Heath's character. While it seems like the film itself has been saved, the sales and the process of acquiring a deal are proving to be a whole different can of worms.
Numerous domestic buyers were said to be interested in acquiring stateside rights, but apparently marketing this film will be a challenge, as it's considered to be more on the experiemental side. Marketing experts say that retailing the flick as a Ledger film "risks running a word-of-mouth problem with general audiences unaccustomed to that kind of material." A source tells Risky Business Blog, "This movie stars Heath Ledger in his final performance - it will get a deal and come out in the U.S., but it's no accident that it's taking this long."
However, despite the drama, a domestic deal is expected to be announced shortly, and a mini-major or larger indie studio is expected to sign on as well.
We can't wait to see it...Heath was an amazing actor, and even though this may be bittersweet for his fans (and his family), it will be another way to remember the talented thespian.
According to the Risky Business Blog, Heath's sister Kate told reporters backstage at the Oscars that her family is very much "in the loop" on her brother's final movie. Kate said, "We've seen a little bit of the footage. I think it's going to be amazing."
Heath died while the film was still in production, but Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp were brought on board as part of an "elaborate workaround," in which they played different parts of Heath's character. While it seems like the film itself has been saved, the sales and the process of acquiring a deal are proving to be a whole different can of worms.
Numerous domestic buyers were said to be interested in acquiring stateside rights, but apparently marketing this film will be a challenge, as it's considered to be more on the experiemental side. Marketing experts say that retailing the flick as a Ledger film "risks running a word-of-mouth problem with general audiences unaccustomed to that kind of material." A source tells Risky Business Blog, "This movie stars Heath Ledger in his final performance - it will get a deal and come out in the U.S., but it's no accident that it's taking this long."
However, despite the drama, a domestic deal is expected to be announced shortly, and a mini-major or larger indie studio is expected to sign on as well.