“Even Heath Ledger Can’t Help Terry Gilliam Find a Distributor.” I’d like to state, for the record, that I object to the headline on this Guardian story pointing to a Hollywood Reporter piece on the uncertain release fate of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus — but it did get my attention, unlike the Reporter story itself, which was published late Friday.

The most interesting thing about both stories is the eagerness to use the Ledger angle to recast Parnassus as a film that should be commercial, but for some mysterious reason––and despite Ledger’s involvement––isn’t. The hysterical takeaway becomes, “Ahhh! Nobody wants to release Heath Ledger’s last movie! Whatever could be wrong with it?!?!??”

Nevermind the fact that, had its star not died, no one would have expected a new Terry Gilliam film to be a big lure for US buyers anyway. Nor the fact that the Reporter’s anonymous sources who say they don’t want to buy the film apparently haven’t seen it. Ahhh! Film buyers aren’t clamoring to exploit the final footage of a celebrity martyr sight unseen! Whatever could be wrong with them?!?!??“