Parnas-sold?

North American audiences are about to be as blessed as most of the world: Terry Gilliam’s much anticipated THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS is inches from getting a U.S. distribution deal that could see the film in theaters before the end of the year.

According to Variety, Sony Pictures has been in talks for a while to get its paws on the film, and negotiations are on the home stretch with an official announcement expected within days. Deals are already in place for release in most of Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand.

For anyone living in total media blackout for over a year, PARNASSUS is Heath Ledger’s final film performance, backed up by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell who jumped in to help complete the late Joker’s unfinished work.

The movie was unveiled out of competition earlier at Cannes, but the deals Gilliam hoped for didn’t all come through right away. The standing ovation received at Comic Con might’ve helped push things forward a bit. And judging by the recent trailer, this is one puppy very much worth seeing in theaters.