Monty Python’s Graham Chapman was a bit of a unique character, so it is perhaps fitting that he’s planning to make another movie, 22 years after he died. It’s the sort of silliness he’d have loved. The animated film will be based on his life, feature him (or at least his voice) in it, and will also reunite other members of the Python team in it.
London-based distributor Trinity has just announced that they will be distributing A Liars Autobiography, a film based on the outlandish autobiography by Graham Chapman, who died in 1989, in UK cinemas in Spring 2012. The movie will feature audio recordings that Chapman made of his book in 1982, allowing him to feature in the animated movie. While the official UK press release doesn’t mention which of the Python’s will be involved, a NY Times story says everyone (including Terry Gilliam) has signed up, except for Eric Idle (although they’re apparently working on him).
The idea is that an animated Cleese and Chapman go on a bike ride together, and discuss his life, with 15 animation companies working on different sections of the movie, each telling a different story from Chapman’s life. The other Python’s will voice different people from his life, with Michael Palin, for example, being Chapman’s father, whle Terry Jones will be himself and Chapman’s mother, amongst others.
The initial plan was apparently to make a documentary detailing Graham’s life as one of the few openly gay men around, but who was secretly an alcoholics However when it proved difficult to find original material such as home movies, the producers (who include Terry Jones’ son) came across the audio recordings and decided to create something a bit different, allowing to Chapman to narrate his own story, in a fittingly absurdist and Python-esque way.
The film will premiere on TV in the US, but will be getting a 3D film release in the UK. The pic above is from a recording session for the movie, while the one below is from the actual film.
