Missing from Absolutely Anything cast

The Monty Python ‘reunion’ film, Absolutely Anything, begins filming in the UK this spring.

John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam will join director Terry Jones in voicing a group of aliens who endow a human being with the power to do ‘absolutely anything’ trade magazine Variety reports.

The science fiction comedy mixes live action with CGI effects.

Eric Idle is still being sought by producers but his involvement seems unlikely. Yesterday, when asked about his unwillingness to appear alongside all the former Pythons in A Liar’s Autobiography, the 3D animated film based on the late Graham Chapman’s memoirs, he tweeted: ‘Not written by Python, just passing off as a Python movie...’ and ‘Python is about writing. Three or four doing a few minutes voiceover doesn't make it Python’.

Absolutely Anything also features Robin Williams, voicing a talking dog named Dennis who seems to understand more about the ensuing mayhem than anyone else. Williams is also being lined up to play a Frenchman according to producer Mike Medavoy, who also made Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Gemma Arterton have been linked to the film, which is based on a script developed by Jones and Gavin Scott over the past two decades. Stand-up John Oliver was mentioned as the lead when it was first announced in 2010, but Chortle understands that Oliver is no longer involved.

Medavoy told Variety: ‘Terry and Gavin have crafted a classic farce - something I feel I know a little bit about after all the Pink Panther pictures we did with Blake Edwards at United Artists. In fact, the movie even has a pompous Frenchman reminiscent of Inspector Clouseau - but there the similarity ends. Like all projects originated by any of the Monty Python guys, Absolutely Anything delightfully defies a logline.’

Spamalot creator Idle also revealed yesterday how he had plans for another Python movie as recently as 1997, a sequel to The Holy Grail, set during the Crusades and featuring Salman Rushdie.

Writing on his blog, he outlined several potential scenes, explaining:

‘In 1997 I came up with an idea for a Python movie.  I went to visit John in Santa Barbara and he seemed genuinely OK with the idea of doing another Python movie, and everyone seemed interested, enough to suggest we get together, but by the time we all assembled at a hotel in Buckinghamshire to discuss it he had changed his mind.’

The five remaining Pythons last appeared together in 1998 at the Aspen Comedy Festival along with an urn that allegedly contained Chapman’s ashes.

- by Jay Richardson

Published: 6 Feb 2013