Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm has received the final go-ahead for a shoot in Prague, with the gothic fantasy set to start a 17-week schedule at the end of June and wrap in late October.

Producers are currently in negotiation with Nicole Kidman for a small part in the film, sources in Prague told Screendaily. The film stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in comic turns as the brothers of fairy-tale fame, directed by ex-Monty Pythoner Gilliam (12 Monkeys, Brazil).

The Prague film world, already busy with the shoot of Stephen Sommers's Van Helsing (Universal), Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy (Sony), and Dreamworks' Ugly Americans project, received word of a greenlight earlier this month for Brothers Grimm along with Alkon Entertainment's First Daughter project, directed by Andy Cadiff.

The $75m Brothers Grimm sees Miramax's Dimension Films teaming up with MGM for financing, production and distribution. On the ground in Prague, local Reforma Films - a new production services outfit headed by Ales Komarek - handles services together with Komarek's former firm, Etic.

Etic is also handling production services for the First Daughter project, which is notably a different film than one of the same name to be directed by Forest Whitaker for Regency Enterprises.

Italian costume designer Gabriella Pescucci, who created the undead of Van Helsing, returns to Prague for Brothers Grimm, which sees the brothers touring the German countryside conning villagers into believing in woodland spirits and then charging money for the exorcisms. John Schofield is executive producer, Nicola Pecorini is director of photography and Guy Dyas is set designer.

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