Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life Gets Delayed...Again

Terrence Malick has been working on his mysterious new film for more than three decades. Despite widespread rumors and educated guesses, no one seems to know exactly what it is.

Here’s what is known: Brad Pitt and Sean Penn are cast in the movie. Malick has been testing some footage of dinosaurs, allegedly for this movie. The title refers to the religious and philosophical concept that all life on earth is interconnected, a motif which shows up in a variety of religions and philosophies. It is a period piece set in the 1950s about a Midwestern boy searching for the meaning of life. This is not much, but as we’ve said before, it’s just enough to pique our interest.

Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait a little longer to find out what the director of Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line is up to. Although it was meant to come out before the end of the year, The Tree of Life will now be one of the first films of the next decade. Execs at U.S. distributor Apparition have announced that the film isn’t finished yet and will not make its scheduled Dec. 25 release, which would have put it in the running for a 2009 Oscar.

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