January 25, 2008
Johnny Depp is said to be a contender to replace the late Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's now-delayed fantasy film
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which is reportedly six weeks away from finishing principal photography.
According to British newspaper The Sun, a studio insider claims, "There is a point in the film when Heath falls through a magic mirror. He could change into another character after that and that is where Johnny would come in."
The source added, "It's a weird, fantasy, time-travel movie so Heath's character could easily change appearance. It would be a poignant moment. ... Johnny's not working at the moment so everyone is praying he will do it."
Production on
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was shut down this week following Ledger's death. The film's producers invoked the "force majeure" clause, which covers work stoppages caused by extraordinary situations, such as the death of a lead actor.
Depp is next slated to star in
Public Enemies for director Michael Mann, with filming reportedly slated to begin in March.
Ironically, Depp has worked with Gilliam before on another ill-fated movie,
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. That film was scuttled in 2001 after four days of filming when one of the lead actors fell ill.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/847/847747p1.html