VIDEO: Terry Gilliam talks Don Quixote at Cannes
But Gilliam never let the project go. It has almost got off the ground with different producers and stars every few years for the last decade and a half, and it's a spectre which has haunted the latter years of his career.
Now it might finally be going away as the director was at Cannes to talk about getting set up to shoot this all new version in October 2016. And that he might even have a version ready to screen at Cannes in 2017.
It's all a pretty incredible journey, and the 75 year old remains remarkably jovial about the whole thing in this press conference from sunny France. You can hear about his new cast - including Adam Driver and Michael Palin - as well as just how much the story has changed.
Gilliam may be crazy to still be pursuing Quixote but at least he's willing to change the story over time. It turns out that the 2017 version will be set entirely in this century, quite apart from the time travelling and flashbacking stuff which has been a part of the project before.
The director hasn't made a truly remarkable film in so long but his fans will certainly turn out to see what happens with this production. Let's hope it manages to finally get made.
