Terry Gilliam’s forthcoming project, Carnival at the End of Days, continues to gather momentum with additions to acting and production. Two new significant names joined in February: actress Emma Laird and producer Andrea Iervolino.
Emma Laird has joined the cast, according to her Instagram feed, bringing the total ensemble to six. The actress joins an existing line-up that has been reported to include Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa, Adam Driver and Asa Butterfield. Laird, recently seen in The Brutalist, is rumoured to portray Eve, aligning with the film’s apocalyptic and biblical themes. The project promises to deliver performances as eclectic as Gilliam’s vision.
Andrea Iervolino joins as producer
The production also gained a significant boost in February with the addition of Andrea Iervolino as a producer. Known for his work on films like To The Bone, Ferrari and the forthcoming Maserati: The Brothers, Iervolino brings experience and resources to the project. He joins Amy Gilliam in producing the film.
Iervolino told Deadline that Carnival at the End of Days was “an epic and visionary work.” He went on to say, “Carnival is an extraordinarily complex film for an independent production. It is a project that blends live-action aesthetics with an unprecedented amount of CGI. It is, without a doubt, one of the most expensive independent projects ever undertaken in cinematic history. However, I firmly believe it is a magnificent work of art that the world deserves to see.”
In February, the Carnival travelled to the European Film Market in Berlin. The event serves as a platform to attract buyers and sales agents.
Shooting at Cinecittà studios
Notorious Pictures is an Italian production company also now involved the production. Its president, Guglielmo Marchetti, confirmed that Carnival at the End of Days will be shot at the iconic Cinecittà Studios in Rome. Known as the “Hollywood on the Tiber,” Cinecittà has hosted countless cinematic classics, including Gilliam’s own “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”
Marchetti told Box Office Biz, “The next executive production that we will deal with at the beginning of 2025 is a real blockbuster of which I am personally very proud. After managing the distribution of The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus in 2009, I return to work with one of the greatest directors in the world, the visionary Terry Gilliam who will direct a stellar cast: Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Jason Momoa, Adam Driver, Asa Butterfield and Emma Laird.”
Story recap
Gilliam described the plot to me in December 2022 as follows: “God decides to wipe out humanity because they made such a mess of his garden. There’s only one character that is trying to stop this from happening, and it’s Satan. Because without humanity, he’s not got a job. That’s the structure of the whole thing. But it’s not about religion, it’s about the world we’re living it now. It deals with the madness that’s going on all around us in the culture wars. I actually set out when we started writing it, I just want to offend so many people.”
The film, written by Gilliam and Christopher Brett Bailey, promises to be a blend of satire, spectacle, and the director’s signature irreverence.
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As this ambitious project moves closer to production, please return to Dreams: the Terry Gilliam Fanzine over the next few months for more coverage of Carnival at the End of Days.
