What's Next for Terry?
#1
The only thing worse than pining for a Gilliam film that may never get made is waiting for a film that has somehow miraculously been made to actually get released so you can see it. When you're a Terry Gilliam fan every step along the way is another windmill for your favorite director and all you can do is cheer him on or sometimes groan in frustration.

While I wait for news of Quixote crossing the Atlantic I thought a distraction might be in order. No one would blame Terry if he never made another movie. After his recent success and advancing age retirement wouldn't be out of the question. But if he did take on one more project, what should it be?

My vote would be for The Defective Detective. It's pure Gilliam, undiluted by other source material or overt influences. Taking place in New York (at least according to the early script I have) the DD would bring Terry back full circle to the United States and his humble beginnings before moving to England. It features an impotent detective named Joe who is forced to enter a child's fantasy world to save a little girl. Between flying beds and a poignant ending of rebirth there is a villain named Mr. Bigg.

"I think I've got to do [it] because it's mine," Gillian remarked in Dark Knights and Holy Fools.

Lately there's been talk of the project being developed into a TV mini-series for a streaming network. I would even be fine with a novelization or graphic novel. Dark Horse might be a good fit. Perhaps his pal Neil Gaiman could do an assist. If Defective Detective did end on a screen, however, who should play the lead?
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#2
When Zero Theorem was released, I heard Gilliam say he wanted Matt Damon for the part, now. I guess it would be fun casting him as an antihero (at least at the beginning of the film/series). I'm not sure Gilliam is still pursuing this project, though.
In other news, Neil Gaiman has now an exclusivity deal with amazon studios... Maybe he'll be able to bring Gilliam along for some project (again, a few years ago, Gaiman was apparently working on a new adaptation of Gormenghast, that could be a nice idea for Gilliam).
But Gilliam will more probably choose a project we don't know anything about, something that has already a producer and budget attached because let's face it, Gilliam doesn't have the time anymore to wait 5 years to gather the money for his personal projects.
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#3
I've heard Terry mention The Defective Detective several times in the last few years, including in an interview after TMWKDQ was released. It certainly seems to be on his mind. Admittedly, Terry is not a young man anymore, but he could also have a decade or more of productive years ahead of him. If he's going to work (his choice) than why not spend that time on a project that means something personal to him? Better to go out chasing a dream than hitching your cart to someone else's fantasies.
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