Ewan McGregor Cast in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

After what seems like a lifetime of stalling, director Terry Gilliam has finally found a new star for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. According to Empire, Scottish actor Ewan McGregor will fill the lead role that was previously occupied by Johnny Depp.

Throughout all its production troubles, Depp stayed attached to Don Quixote but had to jump ship (no pun intended) when the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film came calling. While McGregor takes over his role, Quixote will be played by Oscar winner Robert Duvall, who’ll be replacing Jean Rochefort.

The film’s premise centers on “a 21st century advertising executive who travels back in time to 17th century Spain, where he meets Don Quixote and becomes involved in adventures with him.” Here’s what the always eccentric director had to say about the casting:

“Robert Duvall is one of the greats, no question – and he can ride a horse!” laughed Gilliam. “And Ewan has gotten better over the years. He was wonderful in The Ghost. There’s a lot of colors to Ewan that he’s not been showing recently and it’s time for him to show them again. He’s got a great sense of humor and he’s a wonderful actor. He’s wonderfully boyish and can be charming – when he flashes a smile, everybody melts. He wields it like a nuclear bomb!”

We hope this lineup sticks! The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has been in development hell for a good 10 years and it’s time to get it done. Gilliam had to cut a few corners to make this new incarnation work by slicing his budget of $35 million (during 2000) to $20 million. Other than that, everything appears to be in working order and we should hear more about film’s production pretty soon.

What do you think of McGregor joining the cast of The Man Who Shot Don Quixote? Do you think the film will finally get made?