Julian Sands' Last Movie Before His Tragic Death

When actor Julian Sands passed away at the age of 65 after going missing during a January 13 mountain climbing expedition, the world was left with a wealth of wonderful performances. Some will remember his impassioned work in "A Room with a View"; others will remember his genre performances in horror and science fiction films like "Warlock" and "Gothic." And they have some final films left from him to look forward to this year; most importantly "The Piper," a horror-based take on "The Pied Piper of Hamelin."

"The Piper," which scored a distribution deal at the Cannes Film Festival in May, features a young composer (Charlotte Hope) trying to finish the final work of her mentor. Unfortunately, whenever she plays the piece terrible things occur. She thus has to figure out why the music is so malevolent, and how the tune connects back to the Pied Piper himself.

While IMDb reports it was released nine days before Sands' body was discovered, there is no trailer available for "The Piper" at press time, nor any word as to where the film has been released. Movie fans will have to hold tight to wait and see where they can take it in. But in the meantime, Sands' other most recent film is also out in the wild.

Julian Sands also has three more projects waiting for release: "Double Soul," "The Last Breath," and "Body Odyssey." While audiences wait to watch "The Piper" and those other roles, they can track down "Seneca — On the Creation of Earthquakes," Julian Sands' most recently-released film before "The Piper," as it tours the festival circuit.

The movie teamed Sands up with John Malkovich, his best friend for decades. The surrealist tale is a take on Seneca (Malkovich), the real-life Roman philosopher who was a lifelong advisor to Emperor Nero (Tom Xander). Seneca has the displeasure of watching the boy he tutored grow up to become a tyrant. Conflict, woe, and a tragic ending befall Seneca, who is ultimately ordered to his own death by Nero, who accuses him of taking part in a conspiracy to have him assassinated. Sands portrays Rufus in the film.

While promoting the movie, Malkovich was placed in a rather sad position — speaking about a historical figure who philosophized eloquently about death while his own dear friend was missing. "I haven't really talked about what happened with Jules. But, in a way, it's a choice, because he was an inveterate mountain climber/hiker. He was always tramping off to Kilimanjaro, or Antarctica, or the Andes, or the Alps — a very experienced climber who'd been through very hairy experiences," Malkovich said to The Guardian in February at the premiere of "Seneca" at the Berlin Film Festival. He also describes the film as a very fitting tribute to his best friend, who adored being out in the wilderness. 

Though Julian Sands has left this mortal coil, his film roles will forever make him immortal.