Terry Gilliam fans rejoice! No, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is still dead in the water but The Zero Theorem, Gilliam’s almost abandoned but not really sci-fi film starring Christoph Waltz, is going ahead with pre-production, gearing up for an October 22 shoot-date..
The actual plot synopsis sounds kind of out there, but what more can you expect from the man behind Brazil and 12 Monkeys? Not familiar with the film? Check out the plot summary below:
Living in an Orwellian corporate world where “mancams” serve as the eyes of a shadowy figure known only as Management, Leth (Waltz) works on a solution to the strange theorem while living as a virtual cloistered monk in his home—the shattered interior of a fire-damaged chapel. His isolation and work are interrupted now and then by surprise visits from Bainsley, a flamboyantly lusty love interest who tempts him with “tantric biotelemetric interfacing” (virtual sex) and Bob. Latter is the rebellious whiz-kid teenage son of Management who, with a combination of insult-comedy and an evolving true friendship, spurs on Qohen’s efforts at solving the theorem. … Bob creates a virtual reality “inner-space” suit that will carry Qohen on an inward voyage, a close encounter with the hidden dimensions and truth of his own soul, wherein lie the answers both he and Management are seeking. The suit and supporting computer technology will perform an inventory of Qohen’s soul, either proving or disproving the Zero Theorem.
So, sounds about par for the course for Mr. Gilliam, who has always shown a deep interest in all things weird, existential and science-fictional. Still, it sounds promising and like something that is right up the director’s alley.
While we can never put too much faith in a Gilliam project until it’s actually in the can, the shoot-date info is encouraging. I personally hope that this does not go the way of so many proposed Terry Gilliam projects, because it sounds like a lot of bizarre fun, especially with Waltz involved.
No other actors are attached to the project at the moment, but we’ll definitely keep an eye on developments as they happen.
Source: /Film