Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote Is Finally In Production

After over two decades of delays, roadblocks, and production hiccups, screenwriter and director Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has officially begun shooting.

IndieWire reported earlier today that the long-incubating passion project kicked off production this week. Additionally, the very first set photos were posted on Instagram, one by Rossy de Palma, an actress set to star in the film's initial 2000 production, and another by the movie's makeup artist, Sylvie Imbert.

De Palma shared a photo of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote's screenplay with the heartwarming caption, "FinallyHereWeAre." She gave a shoutout to Gilliam himself, saying, "love you." Imbert's photo came a few days later, on March 6, and features her marking up a massive production grid. It's captioned, "Ultimos toques ayer noche," which can be translated as, "Final touches last night." Take a look below:

This is fantastic news not only for fans of Gilliam's past work and the many film-lovers waiting to see his Don Quixote come to life, but it's also wonderful for the filmmakers themselves. Original pre-production measures were set it motion back in 1998 with shooting set to start in 2000, but that years-ago endeavor was shut down. The movie was reportedly sidetracked a number of times in the years that followed. A 2002 documentary, Man of La Mancha, even captured the film's misfortunes.

Last October, a glimmer of hope shone through for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, with Star Wars star Adam Driver and seasoned actor Michael Palin set to appear in main roles. Unfortunately, just days before filming began, another delay hit due to financing issues. IndieWire mentions that the "Portuguese chap" Gilliam referred to when discussing the money troubles may be Paulo Branco, the financier of the 2016 production. However, this speculation may be squashed, as its been reported that Branco won't be producing the film "due to [a] disagreement with Terry Gilliam."

The late John Hurt was previously attached to the movie, anticipated to play Quixote, but Jonathan Pryce (whom some viewers may recognize from his work as the High Sparrow in HBO's Game of Thrones) will be taking on the titular character. Alongside Pryce come Olga Kurylenko as Jacqui and Stellan Skarsgård as The Boss, both of which are reportedly supporting roles. Driver is still set for the lead as Toby, "an arrogant advertising exec who comes home to his Spanish village and somehow becomes entangled with the legendarily insane would-be knight."

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will follow Toby as he "jumps back and forth in time between 21st century London and 17th century La Mancha, where Don Quixote mistakes him for Sancho Panza." It is currently slated for a 2018 release.

Thankfully now that production has started, we won't have to add The Man Who Killed Don Quixote to our list of huge movies that never happened.