As a filmmaker with an unfortunate history of encountering production problems that would make most aspiring filmmakers question their dreams, Terry Gilliam is a resilient man. In 1999 he was set to begin production on an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’s classic novel Don Quixote. Titled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, it had Johnny Depp in the lead role as a businessman from modern times who is transported back to the time of the title character and is mistaken by him for Sancho Panza, a character from the original story.

The production of the film started rather uneventfully, but soon problems arose. Sets were flooded, thus changing the look of the locations, which meant massive migrations had to take place when moving crew and equipment, and eventually Jean Rochefort who played the title character had to drop out due to back pains that forbade him from riding a horse, which is a crucial aspect of the character. Eventually the financiers pulled out and the production ended.

But now it looks as though The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will have its day in the Spanish sun once again.

The Playlist tells us that work will finally presume on what has now become something of a dream project for the director. There’s a good chance that Depp won’t be returning this time around, as he has a busy schedule and can’t make the time for it. Who will replace him is up in the air at this point in time. However, Robert Duvall said in recent interviews that he will take on the role of the title character in the film. One expects that he’s a trustworthy source and that this will indeed be happening.

Production is expected to begin this fall.

Are you looking forward to seeing a resurrection of Don Quixote?

Note: Anyone interested in the film’s production problems can see them documented first-hand in the excellent documentary Lost in La Mancha.