It’s a good day to be a Terrence Malick fan.  Earlier, we caught the poster and synopsis for the writer/director’s upcoming film The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.  Now, we have some great photos from the set of his next film, a currently untitled “romantic drama."  The project boasts an impressive cast, including Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, and the recently announced Barry Pepper.  For more on the film, and to view the set photos, hit the jump.

Malick, the often reclusive director who also directed 1998’s The Thin Red Line and 2005’s The New World, was seen out and about on location in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  He’s an Oklahoma native, and has been shooting the secretive film for the past month in and around his hometown of Bartlesville.  Bardem and Pepper were seen shooting scenes dressed as priests in a faux-restaurant built in one of the local buildings, and filming also took place at a local Catholic church.

Though Malick is known for taking his time in between projects (he’s only directed four films since his debut with 1973’s Badlands), he seems to be pulling a one-two punch as The Tree of Life is set to be released on May 27th, 2011, and this untitled project is about halfway through filming.  However, he’s known for taking his time in the editing process, so it could be a while before this one hits theaters.  The untitled film has been in the works for a while now, as actor Christian Bale was spotted in Bartlesville two years ago apparently meeting with Malick about the film.  Unfortunately, he was unable to star in the flick and Affleck took over the role.  The stellar cast and the prospect of Malick taking on a small-town drama (if that’s even what this is) have me quite excited for this film, even though it will probably be a while before we get a look at it. Fortunately, we have the promising Tree of Life to hold us over.

Via Osage News: