"Imaginarium" on Hold

Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” has halted production after the death of co-lead Heath Ledger.

The $30 million fantasy movie, which started production in December in London, was scheduled to shoot special effects scenes in Vancouver, British Columbia next week. That’s now on hold, Greg Chambers, business manager for craft union ACFC West, told the Vancouver Sun newspaper Thursday.

He said the production has been suspended until producers decide whether to recast or abandon the project in the wake of the 28-year-old actor’s death.

Chambers said the halt falls under a contract clause that releases all parties from liability in exceptional circumstances, such as the sudden death of a leading cast member.

In the movie, Ledger played a member of a theater troupe trying to save a young woman from the devil, to be played by singer Tom Waits. Other co-stars include Christopher Plummer as the 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus and Lily Cole as the young woman.

Image: Heath Ledger, Casanova, Buena Vista Pictures, 2005

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