The journey of filmmaker Terrence Malick's Voyage of Time is nearing its own epic proportions at this point.  The conception for the film was first announced years ago as an IMAX documentary about the history of life in our universe (not exactly a slapdash subject).  But as Malick has been involved in several other movies since (including Knight of Cups), the project seemed to have stalled.

Then in 2014, Voyage of Time was shopped to buyers at Cannes, and now, IMAX, along with Broad Green Pictures, will being joining Sophisticated Films and Wild Bunch to complete the financing.  Through this deal, Broad Green will receive the first North American distribution rights, after its exclusive IMAX release.

The film is also the first recipient of the IMAX Original Film Fund, which began in May.  According to the press release,

The Fund, capitalized at $50-plus million, will co-finance a portfolio of 10 original IMAX films that will enable IMAX’s worldwide network to provide new digital content to its institutional partners in the form of documentaries that employ cutting-edge techniques, innovative filmmakers such as Malick, and embrace fresh new perspectives in documentary storytelling.

Voyage of Time was spawned from footage Malik shot for The Tree of Life, and will continue to explore those kinds of complex themes of science and spirit, birth and death, and the largest regions of the cosmos down to the smallest life on Earth.  Two versions will be released: a 40-minute IMAX version, narrated by Brad Pitt, and a 35mm feature-length version narrated by Cate Blanchett.

The press release didn't mention the formerly planned 2016 release of the film, so that remains in question.  Still, with all of the backing in place and the voice actors now officially on the roster, Malick fans should be able to feel confident that this Voyage will eventually end up in theaters.

Here's the full press release:

LOS ANGELES, BERLIN (February 3, 2015) – IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX), together with Broad Green Pictures, today announced they are joining Sophisticated Films and Wild Bunch to complete financing of Terrence Malick’s VOYAGE OF TIME. Broad Green will have the first opportunity to distribute the feature film version in North America following the exclusive IMAX release.

 

Gabriel and Daniel Hammond of Broad Green Pictures are executive-producing the film along with Tanner Beard, Mary Bing, Yves Chevalier, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Jacques Perrin, Ryan Rettig, and Donald Rosenfeld. Dede Gardner, Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad and Sophokles Tasioulis are producing.

VOYAGE commenced international sales at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, with GAGA (JPN), MARS (FR), Lumière (BENELUX) and EDKO (HK) among the first to secure distribution rights.

 

VOYAGE OF TIME is a celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.  Malick is working first in the IMAX format for a 40-minute version with scientific narration by Brad Pitt, followed by a 35mm feature-length version with narration by Cate Blanchett.

VOYAGE OF TIME is the first recipient of financing from IMAX’s Original Film Fund, announced in May. The Fund, capitalized at $50-plus million, will co-finance a portfolio of 10 original IMAX films that will enable IMAX’s worldwide network to provide new digital content to its institutional partners in the form of documentaries that employ cutting-edge techniques, innovative filmmakers such as Malick, and embrace fresh new perspectives in documentary storytelling.

 

”Terrence Malick is one of the most innovative filmmakers in the world, and has literally been designing and making this movie with large-format cameras for over 30 years,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “To be able to launch our Film Fund portfolio with Malick and his imaginative style of filmmaking is capturing lightning in a bottle. We look forward to working with Terry and his producing partners on this groundbreaking film.”

 

“Terrence Malick is an innovator of epic scope,” said Gabriel and Daniel Hammond of Broad Green Pictures.  "We have long admired his work and could not be more excited to partner with him on this project.”

“We are thrilled to partner with IMAX and Broad Green, who, along with our partners at Sophisticated Films and Wild Bunch, provide a combined expertise to ensure Terry’s vision is carried out at the highest level,” said Nicolas Gonda and Sarah Green.

 

Said Sophisticated’s Sophokles Tasioulis: “I am extremely pleased to welcome IMAX and Broad Green to VOYAGE OF TIME. In the past 12 months we have been working hard to secure the best imaginable set-up for Terry. With IMAX we give VOYAGE the perfect stage for the epic scale and ambition of the project and with Broad Green we bring on one of the most dynamic new powerhouses of the film industry.”

 

The deal was negotiated with the legal support of Stefan Luetje of Olswang Germany LLP, Alan Sacks at Frankfurt Kurnit and Christopher Tricarico, EVP of Business Affairs at Broad Green.