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Terry Gilliam Loses Rights to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote


It took director Terry Gilliam years to finish his passion project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, but as troubled as the movie was before production, it is proving to be a source of trouble even after it was finished.

News has it that Gilliam has lost the rights to his movie on the grounds that he produced the film illegally. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that the film's former producer, Paulo Branco, is the rightful owner of the project, based on a 2016 contract.

In an interview with Screen Daily, Branco had this to say:

"The film belongs in its entirety to [the production company Alfama Films]. The film was made illegally. It's the first time I've ever seen so many people embark on a mission to produce and exploit a film, without holding the rights. It's a unique case."

Gilliam has been ordered to pay $11,600 in damages, and Alfama Films also promises to seek compensation from everyone else involved including "the film's producers, Kinology, all the others who supported the film, including those who distributed the film in France and the Cannes Film Festival, everyone."

Back in the 90s, Gilliam had started to work on this project with Johnny Depp expected to star. After several issues including weather and health problems, the production was forcefully cancelled. Gilliam's journey was even turned into a documentary called Lost in La Mancha. Almost twenty years later, the movie finally debuted at Cannes—unfortunately, to mixed reviews.

After all the problem this film had to go through to get made, it's almost amazing how it manages to find trouble even after it already screened. I'm just hoping this doesn't keep Gilliam down too long.

See Also: Lucasfilm Said to be Working on 9 Star Wars Films; Yoda Movie Not Happening

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