It was Heath Ledger’s decision to join The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus that gave director Terry Gilliam both the green light and his budget. So when Ledger passed in the middle of filming Parnassus, the fate of the movie didn’t look so great.

But thankfully, folks have banned together and with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law signing on to help finish the film, Parnassus will live to see a movie theater.

Ledger’s character is transported into three separate dimensions in the fantasy pic; these new worlds, which Ledger accesses via a paranormal mirror, will now be inhabitated by Depp, Law, and Farrell. No word yet on when production will resume but the film is on board for a 2009 release and is skedded to be shopped around at AFM by Mandate Int’l. [Variety]

Gilliam, director of films such as Brazil and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has notoriously had bad luck with getting his films made. There is a great documentary entitled Lost in La Mancha, that traces his efforts to make a movie about Don Quixote and the almost unbelievable course of events that bring the movie down. In a world where getting a movie made is almost a miracle, it’s nice to see folks coming together to save a project and to work with a director they believe in.

Movies are a great example of the power of collaboration, no art-form is as dependent on teamwork as making a major motion picture (no matter how little or big). So in the spirit of the Parnassus, and learn about an organization that works to hook up folks looking to make movies, with other folks with different talents that are looking to make movies. Also, to get a look at the movie making process goon awry, watch the trailer to Lost in La Mancha below.