Gin and Tonic 2004 Auditions

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In 2004 Hippofilms, a Los Angeles-based film production company, announced a worldwide casting call for the roles of the young members of Monty Python. Hippofilms said it was looking for six young actors with a talent for silliness to play the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus in a feature movie about their early days. The production company held open auditions for the roles in London, Los Angeles and New York. "Our goal isn't just to find six look-alikes," producer David Eric Brenner told Britain's Empire magazine, "but to discover six incredibly talented performers who embody that Pythonic brilliance and lunacy."

This was the official site for Gin and Tonic, a comic-drama based on the memoirs of the late Python Graham Chapman (Brian), as well as offering information about the open auditions for the theatrical film. FYI: The film never did get made.
Content is from the site's 2004 archived pages as well as other sources.

 

2004 Press Release

 

Fawlty Towers a gin and orange... clip

 

THE MONTY PYTHON AUDITIONS ARE COMING TO NEW YORK!

The search continues in New York City for six talented performers who will portray the young members of Monty Python (age range: 18-35) in GIN AND TONIC - a theatrical film bio of the late Graham Chapman, founding member of Monty Python.

GIN AND TONIC, set to begin shooting in London later this year, will recreate Chapman's early days studying medicine at Cambridge University; his years as a member of the Python team; his struggles with alcohol; his ground-breaking stance on homosexuality; and his outrageous exploits.

Come take part in the OPEN CASTING CALL in NYC!  No formal experience is necessary.  Just be funny (see the March 20th Hollywood Auditions) and brush up on your British accent.  We're currently looking to fill the following roles:

 

AUDITION INFORMATION

Exclusive New York City auditions will be held on SATURDAY, JUNE 5th, 2004, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following address:

Theatre Row Studios

410 West 42nd Street

(between 9th & 10th Avenues)

New York City, NY  10036

Information Hotline:  310-445-9157

 

"GIN AND TONIC" PARTY INFORMATION 

Yes, you heard right.  There will be a Gin and Tonic/Monty Python mixer directly following the auditions.  The party will be held on Saturday, June 5th, from 7:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at The Telephone Bar & Grill, located at 149 Second Avenue (between 9th & 10th Streets), NYC, NY  10003.

Party Details:  All Monty Python fans are welcome.  Come and enjoy the drink specials (a free gin and tonic) and "Holy Grail Ale".  Cool prizes will be given away for the most ridiculous, inspired costumes.  The party will be attended by the Director and Producers of GIN AND TONIC, as well as celebrities and other industry professionals.  If youwish to attend the Gin and Tonic/Monty Python party, YOU MUST RSVP to rsvp@ginandtonicmovie.com.  We recommend that you arrive early (before 7:00 p.m. if possible).  Once the party has reached its capacity of costumed loonies, you will have to wait in the "line of shame".

AUDITION RULES/OTHER INFORMATION

• The final six 'Pythons' will be chosen by Hippofilms, a Los Angeles-based production company, in conjunction with the Graham Chapman Archives.
• CREATIVE COSTUMES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.  Extra points (and an additional chance to be in the film in a secondary role or as an extra) will be given if your costume is extremely clever or absurd.
• You are free to prepare your own audition piece.  If not, a scene will be provided for you.
• Remember, the roles being cast are for the "young" Pythons (age range: 18-35), so please be able to play within that age bracket.
• If you have headshots, a resume, or agent contact information, please bring them with you.  If not, we'll let you in anyway.
• Auditions are first-come, first-serve.  Arrive early if you want a good spot on line.
• No acting experience is necessary.  Just be funny and make us believe you're one of the Pythons.
• Screen Actors Guild members:  Please be advised that GIN AND TONIC will be a SAG signatory film.

 

MEDIA/PRESS

 

For questions pertaining to media/press (i.e. interview requests, media kits, etc.), please contact Sherman Toy - Director of Operations, Hippofilms, at 310-445-9157, ext. #4.

If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to CONTACT US.

Good luck and we'll see you at the audition!

 

We'll be looking to fill these other roles in the near future:

KEITH MOON | PETER COOK |HARRY NILSSON | RINGO STARR |MARTY FELDMAN | DOUGLAS ADAMS | DAVID FROST

 

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Some of the e-mails we have received so far.

Kajetan M. of Sopot, Poland, writes:

"I Would love to play one of the monthy pythons character,but i'm from God forgotten country like Poland,you know the one the that is in good contact with your so called president.At most i like john"the greatest"cleese,because he's funny guy:)just like me:)i thnik i would be great as young john cleese because i can play seriouis when it goes about silly things.......hehe.If i wasnt from this subburbs of the world i would say that:i'm the very meaning of our life!!thank for reading my email pleas dont my as i think and dont through away just as you got first read IT and then replay me if you would made casting in Poland or just come and see would i be good enough....i could bought freedom for my family because we're living like prisoners in our country."

Tom F. of Munich, Germany, writes:

"Hello!!
I'm a little insane 'somebody' from insane 'somewere'.. Hmm from Munich... And becouse of it I feel like a 'not able to eat some carrots bunny'.
I know that there is no chance to have a casting in Munich but this is great that I can write something. But still this is 'something' :)
Have a nice time all the time in our times and in the future time...
and.. and..
A lot of hugs from me and my girlfriend Anouk, and from touthfairy and my hamster George and ... my TV send a lot of hugs to.. and 'a hug for a frog from the hog in the fog'. :)
Make a lot of everything, don't forot about Germany that can't sing and the joy we can bring we are the lords of box without the ring.
The little insane 'someone' from 'somewere'
Bye bye"

 

I

 

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More Background On GinAndTonicMovie.com

 

In 2004, GinAndTonicMovie.com emerged as the official online home for Gin and Tonic, a proposed feature film based on the life of the late Graham Chapman, one of the founding members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Created and managed by Hippofilms, a Los Angeles–based production company, the website served as both a casting call platform and a promotional hub for what was intended to be a comic-drama exploring Chapman’s personal struggles and comedic genius.

Though the movie was ultimately never produced, GinAndTonicMovie.com remains an intriguing cultural artifact—an early example of fan-driven online film promotion that bridged Hollywood and global internet fandom in the pre-social-media era.

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The Film’s Concept and Goals

The proposed film, titled Gin and Tonic, aimed to chronicle Graham Chapman’s life: his Cambridge years, his formation of Monty Python alongside Cleese, Idle, Jones, Gilliam, and Palin, his open homosexuality in a conservative era, and his lifelong battle with alcoholism.

Rather than being a straightforward biopic, it was envisioned as a comic-drama that would blend historical storytelling with the absurd, surreal humor that defined Python’s world. Producer David Eric Brenner, who also co-founded Hippofilms, described the goal as finding a tone “Graham would have been proud of—irreverent, honest, and absurd.”

The film was to be made in collaboration with Jim Yoakum, literary executor of the Graham Chapman estate and editor of several Chapman collections. With his involvement, the production hoped to honor Chapman’s memory while staying faithful to his distinct comedic voice.

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Ownership and Production Company

Hippofilms, the production company behind Gin and Tonic, was founded by David Eric Brenner in Los Angeles in 2001. Brenner was a playwright and film professional with prior experience in international distribution at Alliance Atlantis Entertainment.

The company had achieved modest success with the romantic comedy Rent Control (2002), starring Melissa Joan Hart, Ryan Browning, and Carmen Electra. Gin and Tonic was to be Hippofilms’ most ambitious project, signaling its intent to move from independent romantic comedies into higher-concept biographical cinema.

At the time, Hippofilms also had other projects in development, including Pepper in the Blood, an Olympic-themed motion picture co-produced with Brian Dyson, former Vice-Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company.

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The Worldwide Auditions: A Media Spectacle

The most distinctive aspect of GinAndTonicMovie.com was its open worldwide casting call. In February 2004, Hippofilms announced that it was seeking six young actors—aged roughly 18 to 35—to portray the youthful versions of the Monty Python members:

• Graham Chapman

• John Cleese

• Terry Gilliam

• Eric Idle

• Terry Jones

• Michael Palin

The open auditions were staged as elaborate public events in Hollywood, New York, London, and Tokyo. The first was held at 5540 Hollywood Boulevard on March 20, 2004, followed by a June 5 event in New York City at Theatre Row Studios, with further auditions planned overseas.

The company encouraged participants to “be funny, be absurd, and be Pythonic.” Applicants were asked to prepare a comedic monologue or sketch and were even rewarded for wearing the most ridiculous costumes, with prizes from Toy Vault, a U.S. company famous for its Monty Python–themed merchandise (notably the “killer rabbit with huge, pointy teeth” plush toy).

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Fan Participation and Global Reach

The GinAndTonicMovie.com site was more than a casting platform—it became an interactive fan community for Monty Python enthusiasts worldwide. Submissions poured in from Poland, Germany, the U.S., and beyond, with hopefuls sharing eccentric, humorous, and heartfelt emails about their dreams of embodying the Pythons.

The site featured fan letters and anecdotes—some written with the same offbeat style that Python had inspired in generations of fans. These entries captured the spirit of early-2000s internet fandom, where niche humor and grassroots enthusiasm drove engagement in the absence of modern social media.

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The New York “Gin and Tonic” Party

One of the highlights promoted through the site was the Gin and Tonic/Monty Python mixer, held on June 5, 2004, at The Telephone Bar & Grill in New York City’s East Village.

The event ran from 7:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and featured drink specials, “Holy Grail Ale,” and costume contests with “cool prizes for the most ridiculous, inspired outfits.” Attendees included the film’s producers, director, and “industry professionals,” creating a playful bridge between fans and Hollywood hopefuls.

The RSVP-only event embodied the production’s grassroots ethos: make the process a party. In the words of producer Brenner, “We wanted the auditions to be fun, silly affairs that Graham would be proud of.”

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Cultural and Social Significance

Even though Gin and Tonic was never made, its brief existence left a unique mark on early internet pop culture.

1. A Tribute to Graham Chapman – The project highlighted Chapman’s pioneering role as an openly gay comedian in the 1970s, his creative partnership with John Cleese, and his enduring influence on British comedy.

2. Community-Driven Casting – Before the era of viral YouTube auditions or TikTok challenges, GinAndTonicMovie.com harnessed fan participation to generate publicity and a sense of shared ownership.

3. Reviving Python’s Spirit – The campaign’s absurd humor—encouraging outlandish costumes and comedic sketches—mirrored Monty Python’s anarchic sensibility and demonstrated how deeply embedded that humor remained in global pop culture decades later.

The campaign blurred the line between production and performance, turning fandom itself into part of the film’s mythos.

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Media and Press Coverage

The project received coverage in several film and entertainment outlets, including Empire Magazine in the UK, which quoted producer Brenner’s intention to find not just “look-alikes,” but “performers who embody that Pythonic brilliance and lunacy.”

Trade publications such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter briefly noted Hippofilms’ efforts to develop the film, while niche entertainment blogs and fan forums spread the word internationally.

However, by late 2005, industry news about the project faded. No record indicates that principal photography ever began. Many observers speculated that the open casting call and publicity events were as much about attracting investors and buzz as they were about actually greenlighting production.

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Why the Film Was Never Made

While official reasons were never publicized, several factors likely contributed to the film’s demise:

• Funding Challenges: Biographical films about niche comedy figures are notoriously hard to finance without major studio backing.

• Rights and Creative Control: Coordinating with multiple Monty Python members (and their estates) would have required complex legal agreements.

• Timing: The early 2000s saw several competing comedy biopics, and Python nostalgia was more suited to documentaries (Monty Python: Almost the Truth, 2009) than dramatizations.

• Public Relations Experiment: Some in the industry speculated the open auditions were designed primarily to generate interest and attract investors rather than to cast a fully financed project.

Whatever the case, by 2006 the domain GinAndTonicMovie.com went dark, and Hippofilms shifted focus to other projects.

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The Legacy of GinAndTonicMovie.com

Though short-lived, GinAndTonicMovie.com represents a fascinating footnote in digital film marketing history. It blended interactive web content, live fan participation, and media spectacle in ways that predated the viral marketing campaigns of later years.

It also demonstrated how the enduring appeal of Monty Python could mobilize a global fan base decades after the original troupe’s heyday. Even without a finished film, Gin and Tonic succeeded in keeping Graham Chapman’s legacy alive—reminding fans of the “Pythonic brilliance and lunacy” that inspired generations of comedians.

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Contextual Significance: A Pre-Social Media Experiment

When the Gin and Tonic project was launched in 2004, Facebook was still limited to college campuses, and YouTube had not yet launched. Most fan interaction occurred via forums and email lists. GinAndTonicMovie.com used its simple HTML design and contact forms to invite participation on a global scale, functioning as both a casting portal and community stage.

This model—fans performing creativity for one another in a digital public space—foreshadowed the participatory internet culture that would later define online fandoms.

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The Humor Lives On

While the project’s cinematic ambitions faded, the spirit of Gin and Tonic remains alive through archived web pages and fan recollections. Those who attended the auditions and parties recall them as joyful, eccentric, and profoundly Pythonic gatherings.

The legacy of the project lies less in the film that never was and more in the collective laughter it inspired along the way. In that sense, GinAndTonicMovie.com achieved its goal: celebrating Graham Chapman and the surreal humor of Monty Python with the same self-deprecating absurdity that made them cultural icons.

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GinAndTonicMovie.com stands as a fascinating relic of early-2000s digital cinema culture—a blend of ambition, comedy, and chaos that perfectly mirrored its subject matter. It was a film that never got made, but whose casting calls, costume contests, and community engagement kept Python’s comedic torch burning for one more absurd, gin-soaked round.

Even without a single frame shot, the project succeeded in channeling the infectious joy of Monty Python’s world—proof that sometimes, the show really can go on, even when the film does not.

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