MALICK GETS HIS WOMAN

The above picture is of actress Jessica Chastain, who has just been cast opposite Brad Pitt as one of the leads of Terrence Malick’s TREE OF LIFE. River Road (INTO THE WILD, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) is financing the picture, which just began shooting in Texas. No domestic distributor has been attached as of yet. The story concerns the loss of innocence as seen through the eyes of the son of the characters played by Pitt and Chastain. Sean Penn appears in a supporting role. Pitt replaced the late Heath Ledger in the starring role. Chastain can be seen in the upcoming Al Pacino directed film SALOMAYBE and Dan Ireland's JOLENE. From the sounds of the limited plot description, this sounds like some sort of intense drama, and not a mystical story involving the fountain of youth, as had been earlier reported on the internet.

I just love knowing that shooting has begun on a new Terrence Malick film. Malick, who has only directed four films (BADLANDS, DAYS OF HEAVEN, THE THIN RED LINE, and THE NEW WORLD), is one of my absolute favorite filmmakers. He’s got a style like nobody else and I love the lyrical nature of his work. All of his films are masterpieces in my eyes. His newest film, TREE OF LIFE, reunites him with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezeki (THE NEW WORLD, CHILDREN OF MEN) and production designer Jack Fisk (BADLANDS, THE NEW WORLD, THE THIN RED LINE, THERE WILL BE BLOOD).

This film cannot get here soon enough. It's tentatively scheduled for a 2009 release, though no specific month has been specified.