Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell to Complete Heath Ledger’s Role in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”

Heath Ledger’s final role in director Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will be seen by the public after all. After weeks of speculation and rumors, a solution has been found that will allow the film to be finished in a way that works for both the film and the memory of Heath Ledger.

AICN is reporting that Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell will pay tribute to Heath Ledger by filling in the remainder of Ledger’s performance in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

How can this be?

Well, the Faustian story of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus centers on the boisterous Dr. Parnassus (played by Christopher Plummer), a 1,000-years-old performer who offers audience members a chance to enter fantastical worlds of imagination (via a magical mirror) in a race with the devil for the life of his daughter. If audience members make a righteous choice, their soul is awarded to Parnassus. If they make a heinous one, their soul belongs to the devil.

Ledger was playing a mysterious outsider who embarks on his own quest through parallel worlds to save the girl. Reportedly, Ledger’s character falls through the “magical mirror” in the film. The filmmakers will thus use the “magical mirror” device as an opportunity to change the look of the character and interchange between the four actors.

If done well, and I have no reason to think it will not be, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus could be an incredible and fitting send off for Ledger and a class act on the part of the actors and filmmakers involved.