The tragic and unexpected death of actor Heath Ledger has forced producers of his latest movie, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," to shut it down.

Production on Terry Gilliam's indie film, which Ledger started shooting in London before he died, has been halted indefinitely, Greg Chambers, business manager for the craft union ACFC West (Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople), told People. About 100 crew members have been dismissed until producers discuss their options, whether to recast the film or scrap it entirely.

"[The production] is currently listed as force majeure," said Chambers. (Force majeure is a clause in contracts which frees all parties from liability in case of an extraordinary circumstance. In films, this includes natural calamities like hurricanes or earthquakes, or the illness or death of a key cast or crew member.)

The $30 million project had just finished filming in London last Saturday, and the production team was set to start working in Vancouver, Canada, next week until early March.

An official announcement is expected from the moviemakers but according to sources, "everyone was being let go," one source told Us Weekly, "We were supposed to start this weekend, but obviously they fired everyone today."

Director Gilliam has not issued a statement as of yet on Ledger or the film.

Ledger, who previously worked with Gilliam on 2005's "The Brothers Grimm," was the film's biggest star, and a key factor in the British-Canadian production's financing. "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which follows a traveling impresario's efforts to save his daughter from the devil, was more or less counting on Ledger’s appearance in the movie in raising the finance.

The 28-year-old actor took the role of a mysterious outsider who joins the impresario in his adventure to save the girl. The cast also included Christopher Plummer as Dr Parnassus, Tom Waits as the Devil, and Lily Cole as Parnassus's daughter.