Terry Gilliam Directs Harry Potter?

Does the IMDB mean it?

Published on May 7, 2006 By singrdave In Movies & TV & Books

A friend of mine reports for the Onion's AV Club. A fellow reporter of his wrote an interesting article. Apparently last Thursday, the IMDB listing for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince gave directing credits to Terry Gilliam. Gilliam, who is mostly known for breathatking visuals and stunningly over-the-top goofiness (anyone remember "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" or the doomed Don Quixote picture?), would be a welcome change from the directing of the Harry Potter films...

Well, you can read her article yourself:
So... the IMDB recently updated its page on Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince to show Terry Gilliam as the director. I'm not the biggest Harry Potter fan in the world -- really, the competition for that position is so intense that I doubt I'm in the top million or so -- but I'm very fond of Terry Gilliam, and I should be thankful that he's (possibly, if the decision is official and permanent, which seems unlikely this far out) getting the work.

But I can't help but wonder whether this would be a good thing, either for the Harry Potter franchise or for Gilliam.

According to various and sundry reports, Harry Potter author JK Rowling wanted him to direct the movies all along, and he's said in interviews that he was deeply pissed when he was passed over for the first couple, and that he went off driving around L.A. for hours to work off his anger. As the franchise just keeps growing, it wouldn't be too surprising if Rowling had gained the clout to make her wish come true, or if Gilliam just looks like a more feasible choice now that he's got a couple of completed films (The Brothers Grimm and Tideland) between himself and the debacle of his defunct Don Quixote picture. So it isn't really a question of the author's intent. And unlike most of his films, a Harry Potter feature is likely to make zillions of dollars, possibly boosting his always-questionable bankability, so that's a good thing.

But still. While Gilliam is a whiz with visuals, and could certainly pull off a memorable-looking Harry Potter film (though from my one reading, I don't recall Half-Blood Prince as a book particularly in need of Gilliam-esque effects; it seemed a lot talkier and more internal than the other books), he's a highly idiosyncratic director, prone to over-the-top goofery and comedic, bantery, mannered dialogue. Even Brazil -- one of my all-time favorite films, and arguably Gilliam's most serious movie -- is full of comic interludes and skit-like routines. Given that the Harry Potter films just keep getting better as they get darker and more adult, is the series likely to benefit from a director who cut his teeth on Monty Python material and has always relied on a strong whimsical streak to balance out his sometimes bitterly cynical material?

And by the same token, couldn't Gilliam be doing something more worthwhile with his time than cranking out another entry in a series of popular book adaptations? Couldn't he be out there making a film that no one else could possibly conceive of, let alone make?

I can't say I care enough to actually worry about this, and of course I'm curious what a Gilliam Harry Potter film would look like. But I'm just as curious whether people feel strongly about the issue one way or another. Am I completely off-base in thinking Gilliam is just the wrong person for this series, no matter how excellent a director he is in general?

Let the speculation begin!

Comments

singrdave

on May 07, 2006

I would love to see a Gilliam version of some flashbacks or some Tom Riddle sequences. Magic in the hands of a true magician... that would be worth my $9.

Of course, by 2008, the price should be solidly at $15.

singrdave

on May 07, 2006

From the Onion:

Terry Gilliam Barbecue Plagued By Production Delays

September 8, 2004 | Issue 40•36

LONDON—A backyard barbecue hosted by director Terry Gilliam was postponed again Sunday due to production delays. "I had a special grill flown in from Fiji, but it took three weeks to figure out how to light it," Gilliam said of the 20-foot, volcano-shaped propane grill he'd deemed integral to the Tiki-themed event. "Then, just when I had the menu hammered out, Johnny [Depp] got sick, and I had to push the date back again. See, the whole thing was for his birthday in June." In spite of the continued delays, party guest Elvis Mitchell predicted that the event will be "visually stunning" and "fun."

Gideon MacLeish

on May 09, 2006

To play devil's advocate here, please remember that Peter Jackson was considered a cult film director before LOTR.

Jamie Burnside

on May 09, 2006

Oh god no! I hope that isn't true.

Ms Mitchell

on May 09, 2006

OK call me slow, but who is directing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"?

singrdave

on May 09, 2006

Okay, the plot thickens...

In July of 2005, Gilliam said publicly:

Veteran film-maker TERRY GILLIAM has vowed never to direct a future HARRY POTTER film after being passed over for the first two installments.

The former MONTY PYTHON star was "enthusiastic" and "excited" about making HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE before losing out to US director CHRIS COLUMBUS.

And Gilliam has now declared Harry Potter producers have missed their opportunity to hire him and shouldn't bother asking him again.

He says, "They've blown it. It's dull and old hat now. It's soiled and sullied.

"I'm basically a jobbing salesman. I'm not sure what my next job will be but you can safely say it won't be a Harry Potter."

Then earlier this month, almost a year after this snub was made public, IMDB posits that Gilliam will indeed direct "Half Blood Prince". And then they retract it almost as quickly as they post it, but word is out.

Hmmm... curiouser and curiouser...

Gonzo

on May 26, 2006

I think because it's such a dialogue driven story, Terry Gilliam would be best to direct. His movies are always so visually rich and of the same dark mood running through Half Blood Prince. He's one of the few directors that could make a book like that as interesting on film. Also some of his best movies involve allot of warping of time and he could really make the extensive use of (what are essentially) the flashbacks rather than just get us through them informed.

I'm in agreement with Gilliam on the Potter films. The first one was cute but I didn't run to the theater to see the second or the third. But after seeing the latter on cable, (although I really enjoyed it) I couldn't help but notice that they hacked allot out of the book. Between that and my boss' (who also enjoys Terry Pratchett) suggestion, I was up for reading the books and have been a potterhead ever since.

singrdave

on Jun 01, 2006

My kids almost get behind the wheel to drive ME to the theater for Harry Potter films.

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