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New Monty Python Movie Announced...With Robin Williams

This article is more than 10 years old.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in January of 2012.

UPDATED February 6, 2013: So a lot has happened with the upcoming film Absolutely Anything since I wrote this article in January 2012…and by “a lot,” I mean, “a little. Nothing—no. Not nothing. Something.” (And I would say it in the voices of John Cleese and Michael Palin.) The IMDB page says the film is in pre-production with no fixed release date. But according to a November 2012 article in The Wrap, both Gemma Aterton and Benedict Cumberbatch are in talks for roles for this CGI-heavy film.

The Wrap also writes,

“The story revolves around a teacher who discovers he has magical powers and can make things happen with the wave of his hand. He can wipe out classrooms of badly behaving students and bring people back to life. But he experiences mishap after mishap as he tries to learn how to use these powers.”

With an obvious lack of sketches and a few Cambridge-educated Brits taking on multiple roles, does this mean this isn't a Monty Python movie? I argue, loudly, that it is. The former members of the sketch comedy team can’t help but bring their humor with them. A Fish Called Wanda wouldn’t have been as delightful without Michael Palin as Ken the animal lover who kept accidentally killing dogs and John Cleese’s “Do you have any idea what it's like being English” speech—comedic bits that are pure Python.

And what Python fan would say, "Hmm...it stars Cleese, Palin, and even the typically unseen Terry Gilliam. It will be directed by Terry Jones. But wait, it's not a Python movie. Nah. I think I'll see the reboot of Transformers 12: Nanobots instead."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The comedy team of Monty Python--which gave the world five years of BBC television as well as five movies--is reuniting for a new film. Their newest creation will be a science fiction film. The Pythons will be playing aliens who grant wishes to humans, just to see what happens.

Well, not all Pythons. Eric Idle has yet to climb aboard this crazy train, and Graham Chapman died in 1989. But John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin are all in, as is Terry Jones, who will be directing.

Robin Williams will be joining them in a role as a talking dog. That's right: Robin Williams and Monty Python. And if the Pythons let Williams off his leash, he could very well add a few four-letter words to the Python vocabulary. This also means that fans can look forward to the usual hijinks, as well as something completely different.

Monty Python lives in the hearts of geeks everywhere thanks to their anarchic skits, including, the Dead Parrot, Spam, and Nudge Nudge, to name a few. And then there was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which later became the basis for the successful Broadway play, Spamalot.

According to MSNBC, filming starts in April, just in time to look on the bright side of life.

For a look at some Pythonesque humor, characterized as both scholarly and surreal, check this out:

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