Ledger's Role Filled by Three Hollywood Hotties

What happens to an unfinished film when its lead actor dies, suddenly and unexpectedly? Terry Gilliam had this problem with his film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, after the tragic and untimely death of its star, Heath Ledger.

It was certainly too late to start over with a different actor, and the lead part in a film can't just switch from scene to scene without confusing the audience. The film seemed doomed. Gilliam, former Monty Python trouper and director of such films as 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, had to find a way to salvage his project.

Rather than signing on a replacement actor, Gilliam signed on three of them. Now, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell will play Ledger's character, Tony, in the film. The film is a fantasy picture in which the characters enter into new dimensions through a magical mirror. Ledger will be transformed into different incarnations of himself for each parallel world, which will be played by Depp, Law, and Farrell. All three actors have achieved the same level of heartthrob status as Ledger, so fans will hopefully welcome the variation of character.

Christopher Plummer and musician Tom Waits are additional stars in the film, with Waits cast as the Devil. Production has not yet been resumed, but it is still slated for a 2009 release.