Heath ledger will live on in new film

The director of Heath Ledger's final unfinished movie is working to figure out how to keep the actor alive using computer-generated effects.

THE director of Heath Ledger's final unfinished movie is feverishly working to figure out how to keep the actor alive on film.

Despite initial reports that British director Terry Gilliam was planning to shelve the $33.8 million production of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus after Ledger died halfway through filming the lead role, he is hoping to resurrect the Oscar nominee using computer-generated effects.

Veteran actor Christopher Plummer, who co-stars with Ledger in the fantasy film, said Gilliam was confident he could complete it.

"Terry's throwing himself into the job of trying to salvage the picture," Plummer said.

"Fortunately, because the film deals with magic, there is a way perhaps ... of turning Heath into other people using stills and CGI.

"Terry was a very good friend (of Heath's).

"He very wants to go on with the movie and I can very much understand why - because he wants to dedicate it to Heath, of course."

Ledger and Plummer both left the London portion of the movie's shoot last weekend and were due to continue filming next week in Vancouver.

Plummer confirmed reports that Ledger had been unwell on set due to the rigorous night-time shoots in cold, wet conditions and a lack of sleep.

"We all caught colds because we were shooting outside on horrible, damp nights but Heath's went on," he said.

"I don't think he dealt with it immediately with the antibiotics - I think what he did have was the walking pneumonia.

"He was saying all the time, 'Dammit, I can't sleep' and he was taking all these pills (to help him).

"We had to shoot every second we were out there - there was hardly any time to go into the tent or the car to keep warm. It was very, very hard work."

Plummer said despite Ledger being ill when he left England he was in "very high spirits".

"He was just enjoying himself tremendously," Plummer said.

"It's a rather fanciful script and he was wonderful in this role.

"He was terribly likeable and obviously enormously talented and the combination was terrific. It's such a shame these things have to happen to the good ones."

Reports in the US initially said Gilliam has approached Johnny Depp to step into Ledger's role, but the actor's representative did not immediately return calls for comment.

Sources involved in the investigation into Ledger's death yesterday said he might have died from natural causes, according to US website TMZ.com.

The site has revealed that sources, who it says are "intimately involved" in the death case, say the level of toxicity - caused by medication - in Ledger's blood was low enough that it may not have caused his death.

The revelation shed new light on the actor's death which has been the subject of much speculation.

TMZ also said authorities did not believe the housekeeper heard Ledger snoring when she walked into his bedroom at around 1pm.

The site said a fireman observed rigor mortis in Ledger's jaw shortly after arriving at the scene about 3pm on the day he died - leading investigators to believe the actor was dead for about three hours prior to their arrival.

Rumours that the masseuse hatched a plot with Mary-Kate Olsen's bodyguard to remove illegal drugs from Heath's apartment have also been dismissed.

Authorities told TMZ that it would have been impossible because police were at the scene the entire time the bodyguard was present and there would have been no opportunity to carry out such a plan.

They said the masseuse contacted the bodyguard because she knew he was a licensed emergency medical technician.
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