Terry Gilliam’s ‘The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus,’ has had its setbacks.

First, one of the movie’s stars, Heath Ledger, died in the middle of filming. Gilliam finished it – casting Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell in Ledger’s role – but then had trouble finding a distributor for the project,

Now E1 Entertainment Distribution is behind Dr. Parnassus in Canada, where it is scheduled for an October 16 release, and Sony Pictures Classics has taken on U.S. distribution and the date is set for December 25, so it will open alongside ‘Sherlock Holmes’ starring Robert Downey Jr.

But you won’t have to wait if you can make it to the Toronto International Film Festival where ‘The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus’ — which is about a travelling theatre troupe that has made a pact with the devil and also stars Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits – will screen on September 18 and 19. 

Interestingly, Variety reports that E1 has issued a review embargo on the film and journalists have been asked to sign an agreement to hold all reviews or comments until the Film Festival begins. 

It’s an odd move that E1 reportedly claims is designed to keep critics from scooping each other and killing the buzz. But said buzz would probably be difficult to kill, as the movie contains Ledger’s final performance. Also, the film screened out of competition at Cannes last May, so critics are said to be wondering why introduce the seemingly harsh restrictions at this stage of the game.

On top of that, Variety also reports that at the Toronto media screening, the fourth and fifth reels of the film were shown out of order, necessitating a second screening.

(Photo by PR Photos)