Terry Gilliam is about to start shooting the very intriguing Zero Theorem, and he’s busy rounding out the cast, as it’s been revealed that Matt Damon is taking a small role in the movie, while Peter Stormare and Sanjeev Bhaskar have also signed up. Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton and Melanie Thierry are already set to star.

Vulture got the news on Damon, after they bumped into him at the premiere of Argo. He told them, ‘I’m just doing a very small part in [The Zero Theorem]. Someone finally gave him money to do this one, thank God. It’s with Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton. I’d do anything for Terry. It’s been ten years since I last worked with him [in The Brothers Grimm]. I wrote Terry this whole e-mail, because we had this whole conversation about what the character would look like, because the story takes place in the future, but he had a specific look that he wanted, but then I had to [points to shaved head, which he has for Elysium], and I said, “Terry, what should we do?” And he said, “Actually, we can take advantage of the fact that your head is shaved. Why don’t we change your hairline?” So he mocked up a picture and sent me a real receding hairline, with white spiked hair. “We might as well take advantage of the fact that you’re bald and really do something, present you in a way you’ve never been seen before.”’

We don’t know too much about Peter Stormare and Sanjeev Bhaskar’s characters either, although announcing the casting on Facebook, Gilliam said “Excitement at the front! Zero Theorem now has two more brilliant actors on board: Peter Stormare and Sanjeev Bhaskar. Not just comic geniuses but great friends. They will be sharing two parts at the same time. I hope you like the look.” Quite what that means isn’t clear.

The movie is about a scientist (Waltz) working on a theorem to determine the reason for human existence, who gets numerous visitors, some of whom may be deliberately trying to delay his work.

Terry Gilliam never has an easy time setting up a movie, but it looks like it’s all steam ahead on The Zero Theorem, which is set to start shooting in Bucharest next month. We already knew Christoph Waltz is set to take the lead role, and now The Playlist has discovered David Thewlis has signed up too.

Unfortunately we don’t know what part he’ll be playing, but the film is set in an Orwellian corporate world where “mancams” serve as the eyes of a shadowy figure known only as Management. Waltz will play Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst who works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence – or the lack thereof – once and for all.

His work is interrupted now and then by surprise visits from Bainsley, a flamboyantly lusty love interest, and Bob, the rebellious whiz-kid teenage son of Management. But these visits turn out to be intentional diversions orchestrated by Management to keep control on Qohen’s progress.

It all sounds perfectly Gilliam-esque and could make for a very interesting movie.

It’s been three years since Terry Gilliam’s last movie, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, hit cinemas. It now looks like he’s finally ready to return with a new movie, as Deadline reports that Gilliam has snagged Christoph Waltz to star in The Zero Theorem.

It would appear to be a great mix of actor and director for a film set in ‘an Orwellian corporate world where “mancams” serve as the eyes of a shadowy figure known only as Management’. Waltz will play Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst who works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence – or the lack thereof – once and for all.

His work is interrupted now and then by surprise visits from Bainsley, a flamboyantly lusty love interest, and Bob, the rebellious whiz-kid teenage son of Management. But these visits turn out to be intentional diversions orchestrated by Management to keep control of Qohen’s progress.

It sounds like a suitably weird premise for a Gilliam movie, with more than a few shades of Brazil. While Gilliam’s movie have a horrible habit of falling to bits, this one looks a little more secure than most as pre-production has already started in Romania, with plans to start shooting on October 22nd.