FILM · 2013 · UK
The Zero Theorem
25 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (25)
- #001
The film was originally planned to shoot in London, England, with a production budget of $20 million. It was later decided to move production to Bucharest, Romania, and the film ultimately was made for only $8.5 million.
- #002
Cinematographer Nicola Pecorini chose to shoot on film rather than digital: "Both Terry and I were convinced that the best way to capture the image was on film. It gives you flexibility; it offers the best palette to work with." The 35 mm negative was processed and digitized overnight by Kodak Cinelabs Romania, located near central Bucharest. Digital dailies could be viewed each morning.
- #003
The film was finished in a 16:9 aspect ratio rather than the usual 1.85:1 or 2.35:1, so that it would look exactly the same on the screen of any device. The frame also has rounded corners like those of vintage films. This creates a very distinctive image, a unique blend of "old" and "new" aspect ratio designs.
- #004
The small "futuristic" cars that make it difficult for Qohen Leth to cross the street (near the beginning of the film) are called "Twizy," are manufactured by Renault and were first shown in 2011. The Renault Twizy is a fully electric car.
- #005
Terry Gilliam recalled that most of the actors were on set for only a single day: "Tilda Swinton: one day; Ben Whishaw: one day; Peter Stormare… all three of them, one day. With Matt Damon there were four of us. I think David Thewlis was a week. Lucas, Christoph and Melanie were going over everything. And we really pulled it off that way." [2014].
- #006
Terry Gilliam used Google Earth to choose locations: "Before I first went to Romania, I had worked out most of the locations using Google Earth. These days that's how we do location scouting."
- #007
The shooting schedule consisted of 36 shooting days: 28 days in the studio and eight days on location at nine different places. Pre-production in Bucharest officially began on Monday, 13 August 2012. Principal photography began on Monday, 22 October 2012 and ended on 4 December 2012. Production lasted 37 days and went only one day over schedule.
- #008
According to director Terry Gilliam, Matt Damon and Ben Whishaw worked for scale just to appear in the film, which helped bring the production in on schedule for a fraction of its original budget.
- #009
There is a character named Bob who calls everyone Bob. A similar character appears in Gilliam's 12 Monkeys (1995) as a voice speaking to Bruce Willis's character.
- #010
Director Terry Gilliam praised Carlo Poggioli's inventive costume designs: "Carlo was amazing. If it weren't for Bucharest, we wouldn't have found the Chinese market where he bought all his fabrics. The costumes are quite extraordinary: man-made fibers that look amazing but are painful to wear! We wanted to create this happy world, so with these materials we had color, texture, reflection and transparency."
- #011
Screenwriter Pat Rushin and his wife Mary can be seen as extras in a scene set in a park. They sit on a park bench in the background. Mary reads a newspaper and Pat writes on a briefcase. In fact, he is writing lines for the scrolling "Mancom Motivational" messages seen throughout the film. The scene was shot in Carol Park in Bucharest, Romania.
- #012
Many people believed that Robin Williams appeared on one of the billboards near the start of the film (about four minutes in) as a spokesman for the Church of the Redeemer Batman, but Terry Gilliam has since said that the person is definitely not him. It may instead be percussionist Ray Cooper, who had worked with Gilliam before and is said to appear in The Zero Theorem.
- #013
According to The Sunday Times, Bill Murray was offered a role but had to turn it down because of a scheduling conflict.
- #014
The virtual reality beach scenes that Bainsley creates for Qohen recall the classic film From Here to Eternity (1953).
- #015
The ambulance in the street scene is a Barkas B 1000, built in East Germany between 1961 and 1990. Common in East German vehicles, it was powered by a two-stroke engine.
- #016
Terry Gilliam has made contradictory statements about whether The Zero Theorem (2013) should be considered the third part of a satirical dystopian trilogy (an "Orwellian triptych") that began with Brazil (1985) and continued with 12 Monkeys (1995).
- #017
The project was revived in 2012. Christoph Waltz replaced Billy Bob Thornton in the lead role, and Dean Zanuck, son of the late Richard D. Zanuck, likewise replaced him as producer of the film.
- #018
Jessica Biel was initially attached to the role of Bainsley. Al Pacino was at one point cast in the role of Management.
- #019
The film was first announced with Ewan McGregor in the lead role, and a later version was to star Billy Bob Thornton, Al Pacino and Jessica Biel.
- #020
In 2015, Christoph Waltz and Ben Whishaw appeared together again in Spectre (2015). In one of the films, both of them share the nickname "Q".
- #021
The cast includes three Oscar winners: Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton and Matt Damon. Lucas Hedges later received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Manchester by the Sea (2016), which Damon produced.
- #022
Producer Richard D. Zanuck initially agreed with Ewan McGregor for him to play Qohen Leth, but the actor left the project. Plans to shoot with a different cast fell through when Terry Gilliam left to finish The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), which had fallen behind schedule after the death of its star, Heath Ledger.
- #023
Qohen has two nicknames in the film: Quinn (given by Mr. Joby) and Q (given by Bob). Rupert Friend, who appears on a billboard at the start of the film, plays the character (Peter) Quinn in Homeland (2011), while Ben Whishaw, one of the doctors in Skyfall (2012), plays the character Q.
- #024
The advertisements Qohen passes on the street early in the film feature Gwendoline Christie, Rupert Friend, Ray Cooper and Lily Cole.
- #025
The Zero Theorem (2013) is a science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Mélanie Thierry and Lucas Hedges. Written by Pat Rushin, the story is about a reclusive computer genius, Qohen Leth (Waltz), who is tasked with solving a formula that will determine whether life is meaningful.
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