Draft:Carnival: At the End of Days

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Carnival: At the End of Days
Directed byTerry Gilliam
Screenplay by
  • Terry Gilliam
  • Christopher Brett Bailey
Produced by
  • Terry Gilliam
  • Amy Gilliam
Starring
CinematographyNicola Pecorini
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30–40 million[1][2]

Carnival: At the End of Days (also known as The Carnival at the End of Days[3][4] and simply as Carnival[5]) is an upcoming live-action/animated hybrid independent apocalyptic fantasy black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam, from a screenplay co-written with Christopher Brett Bailey, and produced with Amy Gilliam. The film sees Johnny Depp as Satan as he tries to save humanity from the Last Judgment of God (played by Jeff Bridges) by presenting the new Adam and Eve (portrayed by Asa Butterfield and Emma Laird, respectively). The cast also included Adam Driver, Jason Momoa and Tom Waits.

Premise

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After God decides to end the human race for desecrating the garden he created, Satan tries to salvage his job of sending people to Hell. To accomplish this, Satan attempts to convince God to spare humanity by presenting the new Adam and Eve.[6] The film also features the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Rapture.[7]

Cast

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Production

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Development

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In July 2021, during the 12th Odesa International Film Festival in Odesa, Ukraine, Terry Gilliam revealed that he was working on a new script for a film in which "God finally decides to destroy humanity - for desecrating the beautiful garden he created."[8] In February 2022, he stated that he conceived the overall idea while in self-isolation in Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] In a February 2023 interview with BBC Radio, Gilliam revealed he co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Brett Bailey, who previously scripted the independent film Dream Agency (2022).[3][10] In April 2023, Gilliam revealed that the film was titled The Carnival at the End of Days, and would feature the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[3][11] By 1996, he had developed a similar black comedy screenplay about God destroying humanity for a sequel to Time Bandits (1981) before the project was shelved for various reasons.[11][12][13]

In December 2023, Johnny Depp was in negotiations to star in the film as Satan, having previously worked with Gilliam on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).[14][15] On 15 April 2024, Gilliam reunited with Depp for the United Kingdom premiere of Depp's film Jeanne du Barry (2023), further teasing their collaboration on The Carnival at the End of Days.[16] By June 2024, Depp was cast as Satan, while other previous Gilliam collaborators Jeff Bridges—who starred in The Fisher King (1991) and Tideland (2005)—and Adam Driver, who starred in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), joined the cast as God and in an undisclosed role, respectively, alongside Jason Momoa in an undisclosed role.[15][17][18][19] The film would include stop motion and CG animated sequences, primarily to depict God "as nature that can talk", alongside "fifteen animals".[15][20][21]

In July 2024, during the 28th Umbria Film Festival in Montone, Italy, Gilliam confirmed that Asa Butterfield was cast as Adam.[22] In September 2024, Gilliam stated that he was struggling to finance the film.[23] By early February 2025, Emma Laird was cast as Eve in the film, retitled Carnival: At the End of Days, while Guglielmo Marchetti of Notorious Pictures, Amy Gilliam and Andrea Iervolino would serve as producers, with the latter saying it is "one of the most expensive independent projects ever undertaken in cinematic history".[1][24][6][25] Iervolino previously worked with Depp on Waiting for the Barbarians (2019), the Puffins franchise (2020–24) and Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024), and Driver on Ferrari (2023).[6][26][27] By the end of February 2025, the film was given an alternate title of Carnival, with a reported budget of $30–40 million.[1][5]

In June 2025, during the 71st Taormina Film Fest in Sicily, Italy, Gilliam revealed that the film was stuck in development limbo, saying, "I want to make an apocalyptic film, but everyone is very busy in Israel, in Iran... that's the problem".[28] In a July 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gilliam explained that the re-election of Donald Trump "fucked up the latest film I was working on. Because it was a satire about the last several years when things were going as they were. He's turned it upside down. So he's killed my movie. I had a sub-title that said: "Great fun for all of those who enjoy taking offense". That was how I approached it. I think Trump has destroyed satire. I mean, how can you be satirical about what's going on in the way he's doing the world? I think I've got to rewrite a lot of it. I'm still trying to decide how to approach that".[29][30] In the same interview, it was revealed that Tom Waits was cast in an undisclosed role, having previously worked with Gilliam on The Fisher King and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.[29]

In a separate July 2025 interview with the British Film Institute, Gilliam indicated the film lost its chief financiers Andrea Iervolino and Guglielmo Marchetti, saying, "the film is free: I have signed no legal documents. If anybody wants to come on board, we're willing and waiting. Somebody give me the money".[7][31] In an October 2025 interview at the 7th Cheltenham International Film Festival, Gilliam revealed that the project was dead, saying, "I think that one is not gonna happen. This is probably the first time I publicly said that. So I'm a little worried about saying it — it probably will kill it".[32][33]

Filming

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Principal photography was previously set to commence in January 2025, in April 2025 at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy, and on 7 April 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[25][6][34][19][35] By March 2025, Gilliam's frequent cinematographer Nicola Pecorini was expected to serve as the film's director of photography.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cooper, Dan (25 February 2025). "Terry Gilliam's Carnival reportedly sets April shoot in Italy". Film Stories. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  2. ^ Economou, Vassilis (4 February 2025). "Terry Gilliam's biblical comedy Carnival: At the End of Days on track for production". Cineuropa. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Stubs, Philip (6 April 2023). "April 2023: New Gilliam feature film project gains a title". Gilliam Dreams. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  4. ^ Tanenbaum, Ross (23 June 2025). "Johnny Depp "Comeback" Addressed As Controversial 62-Year-Old Actor Discusses Hollywood Future". Screen Rant. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b Schreur, Brandon (24 February 2025). "Terry Gilliam's Carnival Gets Update, Cast Includes Johnny Depp, Adam Driver, & More". ComingSoon. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Wiseman, Andreas (3 February 2025). "Terry Gilliam Project 'Carnival: At The End Of Days' Heads To EFM With Producer Andrea Iervolino". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b Thomas, Lou (22 July 2025). ""Hollywood has been very timid these days": Terry Gilliam on his 50-year directing career". British Film Institute. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  8. ^ Schtekel, Mykhailo (21 August 2021). ""There is no meaning in life without humor": the author of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" came to Odessa". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  9. ^ Markl, Nuno (16 February 2022). "Rádio Comercial | Nuno Markl entrevista Terry Gilliam" (video). YouTube. Rádio Comercial. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  10. ^ Kasap, Aysel Dilara (22 April 2023). "Dream Agency: A Journey Towards the Unconscious". Voice Mag. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  11. ^ a b Shaffer, Marshall (13 June 2023). "'The Carnival At The End Of Days': Terry Gilliam's Next Potential Film Is A Comedy About Satan Trying To Prevent The Apocalypse". The Playlist. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  12. ^ Paur, Joey (10 January 2022). "Story Details For Terry Gilliam's Bonkers Unproduced Time Bandits Sequel". Geek Tyrant. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  13. ^ Knowles, Harry (23 January 2001). "Reno checks in with the 1997 draft of Time Bandits 2... seriously". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  14. ^ Bleasdale, John (3 December 2023). "Terry Gilliam Eyes Johnny Depp to Play Satan in 'Carnival at the End of Days' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Booth, Ned (7 June 2024). "'The Carnival At The End Of Days': Terry Gilliam's Latest Stars Johnny Depp As Satan, Jeff Bridges As God, Adam Driver & Jason Momoa". The Playlist. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  16. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie; Abraham, Hannah (15 April 2024). "Johnny Depp Teases Terry Gilliam In 'Jeanne Du Barry' UK Red Carpet Reunion". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  17. ^ Pulver, Andrew (5 June 2024). "Johnny Depp to play Satan opposite Jeff Bridges as God in Terry Gilliam biblical comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  18. ^ Léger, François (31 May 2024). "Exclusive - Jeff Bridges will play God opposite Johnny Depp as Satan in the next film by Terry Gilliam". Première (in French). Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  19. ^ a b Sharma, Ritesh (19 February 2025). "Johnny Depp's 'The Carnival at the End of Days' Starts Filming in Albuquerque in April". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  20. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (9 June 2024). "Terry Gilliam Scouts Talent At Annecy As He Plots Animated Sequences For New Johnny Depp-Jeff Bridges Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  21. ^ Debruge, Peter (9 June 2024). "Terry Gilliam Is Prepping Another Movie, and He Came to Annecy to Find Animators to Inspire Him". Variety. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  22. ^ Pasquini, Mattia (15 July 2024). "Asa Butterfield in Terry Gilliam's 'Saudi' Carnival". Ciak (in Italian). Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  23. ^ Hloušková, Lenka (29 September 2024). "Terry Gilliam: The freedom to be funny, to laugh at everyone and everything is not allowed now". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  24. ^ Sinopoli, Paul (21 February 2025). "Cover Story Italian Cinema: A Value Behind the Executive Production". Box Office Biz (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  25. ^ a b Marc, Christopher (24 February 2025). "'Carnival': Terry Gilliam's Next Effort With Johnny Depp & Jeff Bridges Adds Asa Butterfield & Emma Laird". The Playlist. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  26. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (22 June 2020). "Johnny Depp to Voice Lead in New Animated Series 'Puffins' From Iervolino Entertainment (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  27. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (23 September 2024). "Italian Producer Andrea Iervolino Parts Ways With Business Partner Monika Bacardi to Launch New Solo Outfit". Variety. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Great European Cinema Awarded at the Nations Awards in Taormina: Greek Theatre Packed Photo". Gazzetta del Sud (in Italian). 29 June 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  29. ^ a b Szalai, Georg (8 July 2025). "Terry Gilliam on the Timeliness of 'Brazil' at 40, How Donald Trump "F***ed Up" His Next Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  30. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (8 July 2025). "Terry Gilliam Says Trump 'Killed' His 'Carnival at the End of Days' Film: He 'Destroyed Satire'". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  31. ^ Rumy, Jordan (24 July 2025). "Terry Gilliam Can't Get His Movies Made: "Somebody Give Me the Money"". World of Reel. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  32. ^ Whitbrook, James; Jackson, Gordon (6 October 2025). "Keanu Reeves Has a Hopeful Update for 'Constantine 2'". Gizmodo. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  33. ^ Morrish, John (2 October 2025). "Terry Gilliam Discusses Monty Python & the Holy Grail at 50". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  34. ^ Vito, Jo (2 June 2024). "Terry Gilliam Details New Film Starring Johnny Depp as Satan and Jeff Bridges as God". Consequence. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  35. ^ "The Carnival at the End of Days (Feature Film)". Production List. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  36. ^ "Carnival aka Carnival: At the End of Days (WT)". Intelligence.Ensider. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
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