Given his secretive nature, filmmaker Terrence Malick and his projects have taken on almost mythic reputations. One of the director’s longest-developing films is Voyage of Time, which was first announced years ago as an IMAX documentary that would examine the history of life in our universe and was spawned from footage Malick shot for The Tree of Life. He’s been toiling away on the project in the ensuing time while also filming and editing three full features, and many have been wondering when (or if) we’d actually ever get to see this thing.
It appears that the film's release is finally near, as Voyage of Time will be shopped to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival later this week and next week, with the latest word being that the pic will hit theaters in 2016. Hit the jump for more on the project.
Per Variety, Wild Bunch has acquired international rights to Voyage of Time and will present the first images of the project to select buyers at Cannes, with a 2016 release planned for both a feature-length version and a 40-minute large-format version of the film. Discussions are ongoing with IMAX Corporation to release the large-format version, and Malick has been working with a number of experts in natural history cinematography to capture the footage.
Though the project is still shrouded in quite a bit of mystery, Wild Bunch provided a tantalizing description of the film to Variety:
“[Voyage of Time] is a celebration of the earth, displaying the whole of time, from the birth of the universe to its final collapse. It examines all that went to prepare the miracle that stands before us now. After the nebulae and supernovae, after the lands of lava and smoke, after the elaboration of the first cells, first fish, first amphibians and reptiles, this great wonder! Using words and music, we are encouraged to view the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet with gratitude and awe, in Malick’s most ambitious film to date.”
A number of actors have recorded voice work for the film over the years, including Emma Thompson, and since Voyage of Time boasts Malick’s Tree of Life star Brad Pitt as a producer, Variety speculates that he may also be providing narration. While 2016 is still quite a ways off, it’s certainly exciting to hear that the film is finally coming together.
Malick also has two other projects currently in post-production, the Los Angeles-centric Knight of Cups and another untitled feature set within the Austin music scene. We expect at least one of those to be completed by the end of this year or sometime next year, but given Malick’s propensity for lengthy post-production periods, you never really know.
