Could Ryan Gosling be in Terrence Malick's new film, thus delaying Logan's Run?

Well, The Playlist seems to believe it's a possibility:

Is Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling‘s upcoming modern adaptation of classic sci-fi “Logan’s Run” set to be delayed by a teaming between the latter and renowned auteur Terrence Malick? Apparently so, according to Film School Rejects, who were on hand at a Q&A with the director for his latest effort “Drive.”

Refn and Gosling are already set to reunite later this year for the Bangkok-set noir “Only God Forgives” and had planned to directly follow that up with “Logan’s Run.” Refn, however, now reveals that his love affair with Gosling will be set aside for the actor to squeeze in a film with Malick between his two projects.

What Malick project might Refn be referring to? The short answer is: we’re not sure. Earlier this week, it was reported that Christian Bale will himself be reuniting with Malick for a new, mysterious project that is said to feature a cast smaller than even his untitled next effort aka “The Burial.” It was noted at the time, though, that the film would “center around two leads, one male (Bale) and one female.” Whether this is the same project Gosling is being linked to now is anyone’s guess really but it’s definitely safe to say the once-dormant director is well and truly back in the game.

Christian Bale set to team up again with Terrence Malick on his newest project?

The Playlist says yes:

For much of Terrence Malick‘s career, his workflow has been defined by single projects taking years at a time to take shape and finish before he moves on to the next one. Now, it seems the guy is making up for lost time. With “The Tree Of Life” hitting theaters this spring, the director currently has his untitled film—aka “The Burial”—in post-production and is also at some stage of development with his “Voyage Of Time” documentary which recently added Emma Thompson as a narrator alongsideBrad Pitt. Earlier this year word cropped up that Malick was starting another film, one that would be small in nature, that would potentially shoot late summer/early fall. Not much has been heard since, but it looks like that film is now moving full steam ahead with an early 2012 start being eyed.

Twitch reports that Christian Bale—who starred in “The New World” and was set for “The Burial” but was replaced by Ben Affleck—is set to reteam with the director on the new project. Of course, details are unknown other than it will apparently feature an even smaller cast than “The Burial” (which features Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper and Jessica Chastain) which certainly falls in line with earlier reports that Malick intends “to be finished with this one in a matter of months.” The story will center around two leads, one male (Bale) and one female, with Rooney Mara, Haley Bennet (”Marley & Me,” “Kaboom”),Clemence Poesy and Mia Wasikowska all said to be in contention for the part. And well, that’s it.

Of course, when we’ll get to see these pics is anybody’s guess. The U.K. rights to “The Burial” recently sold to Optimum and we would guess that if indeed it’s coming next year, another trip to Cannes will be in the works. As for “Voyage Of Time” and this new project, whose to say. But with early word that Malick expects to get it done sooner rather than later, that certainly bodes well though anything can happen when the mercurial director gets behind the camera. Hell, his whole vision for the project could change between now and the New Year. But clearly, the 67 year-old director is newly inspired and we couldn’t be more excited. Let’s hope more details arrive soon.

-Joey's Two Cents: While it's no secret I'm not in love with much of Malick's work, I'm always eager to see his projects, and his upcoming ones are no exceptions...thoughts?

The Tree of Life wins FIPRESCI Prize!

Variety reports:

Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life has added to its Cannes Palme d'Or win this May by taking the Grand Prix for film of the year, awarded by the Intl. Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci).

“It's comforting to discover so many generous hearts that encourage myself and all those who work with me to continue forging ahead," Malick said in a statement.

The prize will be presented Sept. 16 at the opening gala of the 59th San Sebastian Film Festival, where The Tree of Life opens the fest's Zabaltegi-Pearls section.

The prize will be collected by an exec at Tripictures, the Spanish distributor of the film, the San Sebastian fest announced Friday, scotching major speculation that pic's stars Brad Pitt or Sean Penn will pick up the award.

Here's some info on the lost projects of Terrence Malick!

The Playlist has the extended breakdown:

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps legendary filmmaker Terrence Malick knew this when he worried aloud and said in his last interview in the 1970s, “From this point on. I’m being watched. That could trip me up.” Malick wasn’t referring to detectives—though cinephiles possibly could have used some in the ‘80s and ‘90s. This was in reference to critics, audiences and studios coming to the realization that after “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” Malick was possibly the most important American filmmaker alive.

Such existential worries, plus studio pressures on the project “Q” forced Malick to fly the coop, pulling one of cinema’s greatest disappearing acts, one that would last 20 years. “I think the more applause he got, the more frightened he got,” screenwriter pal Bill Witliff said of Malick’s departure in a 1995 Los Angeles magazine interview. “I knew he wasn’t long for this business,” producer Don Simpson, who’d hung out with Malick on “Days of Heaven,” said in the same article. “He never loved the movies - he was more the philosopher.”

But longtime editor Billy Weber, who has worked on every Malick film to date, said the vacation was never meant to be two decades long. “He just got waylaid for 20 years,” he said on the “Days of Heaven” commentary track for Criterion. Furthermore, ideas that Malick was reciting poetry, painting or had called it quits were dead wrong. He was working throughout the entire period and wrote several screenplays. “Terry’s continually working, He has a project he’s been working on for 30 years and he just doesn’t talk about it,” Jack Fisk said on the same commentary track, likely referring to “Q” or what became “The Tree of Life.”

Why 'The Tree of Life' was a disappointment to me...

...or at least a partial disappointment. As you all have no doubt seen by now, my review of the film went up earlier today (you can find it here if you haven't seen it yet), and I obviously do not share in the opinion of some that Terrence Malick has crafted a masterpiece. I recognize the quality elements of the work, but it never came together for me. I figured I'd use this as a place for everyone to comment once more on the film (since it's generating a lot of chatter, not just on the site, too), now that it has been out for more than just a few days and the review is up to read and comment on. Have at it!

Has Cannes been a boon to a few films at the Box Office?

Apparently so, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Did winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival do the trick for Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life?

Over the weekend, the Brad Pitt-Sean Penn starrer debuted in the U.S. to a per screen average of $93,320—a record for a Fox Searchlight title. Searchlight’s previous best was $80,000 for Black Swan.

Opening Friday in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, Tree of Life grossed an estimated $372,920 through Sunday. Including Monday--the Memorial Day holiday--the moody drama grossed an estimated $488,920 for a per screen average of $122,230.

Searchlight senior vice president for distribution Sheila DeLocahe said the film’s performance was all the more impressive considering its running time is two hours and eighteen minutes. And Searchlight relied almost entirely on publicity to generate interest in the drama, versus an expensive media campaign.

“Winning the Palme d’Or really pushed it forward,” said DeLoache, adding that Tree of Life has become a must-see event title.

The last American film to walk away with the top honor was Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 seven years ago.

Tree of Life isn’t the only film feeling the Cannes glow. Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, the festival’s opening night film, continued to do strong business in its second weekend at the domestic box office.

If you saw 'The Tree of Life'...

...use this space to let us know what you thought! I've seen the film and tweeted my thoughts (found here), but look for my full review in a day or two. For now, just know that it's definitely going to inspire debate in the Circuit community. For now, sound off on Terrence Malick's opus!

The Tree of Life is finally out today...now what about Malick's Voyage of Time documentary?

Well, 24 Frames might have the answer:

Terrence Malick left a lot of “The Tree of Life” footage on the cutting room floor. But the writer-director’s elaborate visual presentation of the birth of the universe and the origin of life may have a second life in an Imax documentary.

The publicity-phobic maker of “The New World” and “The Thin Red Line” has been developing a documentary called “Voyage of Time.” It was originally designed as a companion piece to “Tree of Life,” which opens in Los Angeles and New York on Friday. But the producers of “Tree of Life” were concerned that two films—one fiction, one not—covering similar ground might confuse audiences, and decided to push back “Voyage of Time” to an unspecified future date.

Could Terrence Malick's next film be even more experimental?

The Playlist seems to think so:

2011 is a good time to be a Terrence Malick fan. The notoriously reclusive director doesn’t talk to press so for the most part, before this year, getting any info on “The Tree Of Life” or anything else he was working on required patience, digging and a bit of teeth pulling. But with the “The Tree Of Life” beginning its rollout this weekend, the producers of the film are talking to press on his behalf and in addition to chatting about the film are also offering up morsels on some other projects Malick is currently cooking up. As you already know, last year he shot a new untitled film—referred to as “The Burial” in some cirlces—starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper and Jessica Chastain. Details have been scarce, and while some bits and pieces leaked last fall, as we guessed, it’ll probably be nothing like whatever those scrapings of info suggested.

24 Frames reports that Malick recently wrapped reshoots and finished photography on the film and that according to their source it is “even more experimental than ‘Tree of Life.’” Of course, that’s fairly vague and could mean anything, but given that Malick has taken fusing drama with much larger spiritual and existential questions in “The Tree Of Life,” we’re not surprised that his next effort may be even more boldly freeform in its approach. But “experimental” means many things to many people so don’t cling to that descriptor too hard.

Cannes Film Festival: Terrence Malick and Brad Pitt's 'Tree of Life' draws boos, but also counter-applause.

According the Entertainment Weekly:

It’s daunting to describe Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, but scattered audience members at its first screening in Cannes needed only one syllable: boo.

The many supporters of the movie pushed back with counter-applause, but it was a shocking way for the movie to debut.

The Tree of Life is an elegiac litany of images and memory-like scenes more than a traditional narrative. Let’s see — in brief, it’s the origin of time and infinity through the lens of one troubled, 1950s-era Texas family, and stars Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, though they share copious screen time with evolving galaxies, nebulae, and surreal, symbolic representations of the world beyond.

Call it a coming of age story about the universe.

Here’s how the chaos — on screen and off — unfolded today …

Want a look at the dinosaurs in The Tree of Life?

Of course you do, and we have that for you here (along with a bunch more things from Malick's film) courtesy of The Film Stage:

We got a tiny glimpse when Fox Searchlight debuted the theatrical poster for Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life, but now, with 36 days left before it debuts in the US, we have the the first high-resolution look at the dinosaurs in the film. Look no further if you don’t want to be spoiled. Check it out below and more photos from TwoWaysThroughLife.

The Tree of Life gets a new Poster!

Click the image to make it bigger...thoughts?

The Tree of Life will premiere at Cannes!

Variety reports:

A full year after it was initially floated as a hot fest prospect, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" is set to make its world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

It's still unclear whether the Fox Searchlight drama starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn will play in or out of competition, a decision that likely will not be made until closer to April 14, when fest topper Thierry Fremaux announces the full official selection lineup. But it's sure to be included in what's shaping up to be a vintage year for Cannes, with new works by Palme winners Gus Van Sant, the Dardenne brothers, Lars von Trier and Nanni Moretti hotly tipped for competition berths, though Fremaux and his selection committee still have many titles to screen before the April deadline.

Curious how long The Tree of Life might run when it hits theaters?

Well, wonder no more, according to The Film Stage:

If you’ve been following our site, you know Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life is, one of, if not the most-anticipated film of the year. The Austin-area director won’t be having a secret screening at SXSW this month, but rather a likely Cannes premiere before its May 27th debut via Fox Searchlight. While snooping around its French distributor’s site, EuropaCorp, I came across the runtime for the film. Also letting us know it will premiere May 18th over there, it revealed a running time of 2 hours and 18 minutes. With not much to go on, let’s look how it stacks up against his previous four films:

• Badlands (1973) – 1 hour and 34 minutes
• Days of Heaven (1978) – 1 hour and 34 minutes
• The Thin Red Line (1998) – 2 hours and 50 minutes
• The New World (2005) – 2 hours and 15 minutes (excluding extended cut adding 37 minutes)
• The Tree of Life (2011) – 2 hours and 18 minutes

Here's the first image from Terrence Malick's upcoming romantic drama!

The Hollywood Reporter is going to be featuring the film in its next issue, so that's something to look out for...thoughts?