Monty Python's Life of Brian December 1976, with a first draft completed by mid-1977. The final pre-production draft was ready in January 1978, following "a concentrated two-week writing and water-skiing period in Barbados". The film would not have been made without Python fan former Beatle George Harrison, who set up HandMade Films to help fund it at a cost of £3 million. Harrison put up the money for it as he "wanted to see the movie" — later described by Terry Jones as the "world's most expensive cinema ticket." The original backers, EMI Films, had been scared off at the last minute by the subject
Monty Python and the Holy Grail in a different visual style and with references to llamas, animals often mentioned in "Flying Circus". The subtitles were written by Michael Palin as a way to "entertain the 'captive' audience" at the beginning of the film. In addition to several songs written by Python regular Neil Innes, several pieces of music were licensed from De Wolfe Music Library. These include: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" had its theatrical debut in the United Kingdom in 3 April 1975, followed by a United States release on 27 April 1975. It was re-released on 14 October 2015 in the United Kingdom.