Ewan McGregor has signed on to star opposite Robert Duvall in Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.  According to Empire, McGregor has the role that Depp was set to play back in 2000 when the film fell apart (and infamously documented in the tragic Lost in La Mancha).  Depp was still attached to the part, but with filming on Quixote set for September and Depp's schedule uncertain due to filming on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Gilliam decided not to take any chances and chose McGregor for the role.  If the script is the same as the one attempted back in 2000 McGregor will play a 21st century advertising executive who travels back in time to 17th century Spain, where he meets Don Quixote (Duvall) and becomes involved in adventures with him.

In an interview with Steve back in December for Crazy Heart, Duvall said he would play the role if financing came together.  That now seems to be the case (however his budget will now be $20 million compared to the $35 million he had in 2000).  Hit the jump to read what Gilliam had to say about bringing McGregor on board.

Here's Gilliam singing the praises of McGregor to Empire:

"Robert Duvall is one of the greats, no question - and he can ride a horse!" laughed Gilliam. "And Ewan has gotten better over the years. He was wonderful in [The Ghost Writer]. There's a lot of colours to Ewan that he's not been showing recently and it's time for him to show them again. He's got a great sense of humour and he's a wonderful actor. He's wonderfully boyish and can be charming - when he flashes a smile, everybody melts. He wields it like a nuclear bomb!"

McGregor's been keeping busy.  He recently signed on to co-star in Lasse Halstrom's Salmon Fishing in Yemen.  He's also in Steven Soderbergh's Knockout, the love story The Last Word, and the period piece/thriller The Raven.