Terry Gilliam ordered to pay up in Don Quixote lawsuit

Terry Gilliam has been dealt a legal blow in his The Man Who Killed Don Quixote lawsuit after he was ordered to pay a former producer $11,600 (£8,800).

Paulo Branco, from Alfama Films Production, previously sued Gilliam for breach of contract, claiming he owns the rights to the movie, which he exited as a producer before cameras began rolling.

He was also seeking an injunction to prevent the project from debuting at the Cannes Film festival last month (May18), but it was subsequently allowed to premiere as long as it featured a pre-film disclaimer, stating the screening did not harm Branco's claim to the rights or the ongoing legal proceedings.

However, the Monty Python star has now been ordered to pay up in the legal battle by a French judge, who has ruled the 2016 contract that grants Branco the rights to the movie remains in place.

With the ruling, Branco has announced plans to continue to seek legal action against the movie's new producers at Kinology, distributors at Ocean Films, and bosses at the Cannes Film Festival.

"The ruling means that the rights to the film belong to Alfama," Branco says. "Any exploitation of the film up until now has been completely illegal and without the authorisation of Alfama. We will be seeking damages with interest from all the people involved in this illegal production and above all, all those who were complicit in its illegal exploitation. We're holding everyone responsible."

The film was released in France in May (18), and was set to be released in Europe next month (Jul18). Bosses at Amazon Studios had acquired the rights to distribute it in the U.S., but they dropped out of the deal after Branco launched his lawsuit.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is loosely based on the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, and stars Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce.