Heath Ledger delivered one of his most unforgettable performances in last year’s The Dark Knight, but it may be his final turn in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus that defines the actor’s tragically short career. From the trailer alone, you can see the effortlessly charming, darkly brooding, and completely singular energy that Ledger brought to his roles. It’s a shame we will never see the film as it was originally intended, but Gilliam has scrounged up a not-unflattering trio of understudies in Johnny Depp, Colin Farrel, and Jude Law to pick up the slack in the wake of Ledger’s passing.
We’ve already gotten a hint of the eye-popping visuals to expect from Imaginarium with the U.K. trailer that was released a couple of months ago, and the domestic trailer certainly reinforces that. The early word out of festivals has been that this is a return to form for Gilliam, with many of the themes from the director’s early, best works reasserting themselves here. Personally, I think it looks like Gilliam just let his imagination run wild here, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us this time.