CGI May Help With Heath Ledger's Role in Gilliam Fantasy Film

Posted on January 30, 2008

The Times Online reports that CGI may be one of the options to replace Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - a $30 million fantasy movie directed by Terry Gilliam. The article says the film was about a third of the way finished before Heath Ledger's untimely death. Another option is to have another actor - possibly Johnny Depp - take over the role.

The recent location shooting in East London meant that filming was about one-third complete when Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. Cast and crew were due to get together again in Toronto next week, although that was called off as soon as news emerged of the actor's death.
It would not be the first time that CGI had been used to complete a role. It was used most notably after the death of Oliver Reed to finish off the actor's performance in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, although in that case shooting was much closer to completion.
An alternative for Gilliam, notorious as a director whose projects hit unexpected snags, is to appoint another actor to take over in Ledger's role, specifically after a scene when his character steps through a magic mirror. The American Johnny Depp, who has worked with Gilliam in the past, is seen as the most likely contender.

Heath Ledger's co-star in the film Christopher Plummer (who plays Dr. Parnassus) has commented on Heath's death saying that he had been suffering from a nasty bug. You can read another article on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus here - this one says Gilliam is working hard to save the film.

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