Terrence Malick’s ‘Voyage of Time’ Coming to IMAX Theaters in October After 30+ Year Production

Though there have been exceptions in recent years, admirers of Terrence Malick are used to long waits between the writer/director’s films. His first two, “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” were released five years apart from one another; his third didn’t arrive until 20 years later. All of this to say that, when “Voyage of Time” didn’t appear on this year’s Cannes lineup, many were disappointed but not surprised — even though Malick’s documentary tie-in to “The Tree of Life” has been in one form of production or another since the late 1970s. According to an IMAX press release, the wait will soon be over: “Voyage of Time” is set to be released on October 7 of this year.

Related Stories

A24 Is Re-Releasing ‘Ex Machina,’ ‘Hereditary,’ and ‘Uncut Gems’ in IMAX

I Was a Retired IMAX Projectionist. Then ‘Oppenheimer’ Came Out.

READ MORE: First Look: Terrence Malick’s Documentary ‘Voyage Of Time’

The news isn’t the centerpiece of the press release, which focuses on the company’s first-quarter earnings, but it’s there all the same. The film has been described by Wild Bunch as

“…a celebration of the earth, displaying the whole of time, from the birth of the universe to its final collapse. This film examines all that went to prepare the miracle that stands before us now. Science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet — all come together in Malick’s most ambitious film to date.”

READ MORE: Terrence Malick is a Celestial Force in Gorgeous ‘Knight of Cups’ Poster

So, you know, typical Malick fare. “Voyage of Time” has its origins in “Q,” an ambitious undertaking first proposed by the writer/director in the ’70s that Paramount financed to the tune of $1 million. Nothing came of it, though elements of the film made their way into “Tree of Life.” The IMAX version will run 40 minutes and be narrated by Brad Pitt, who starred in “The Tree of Life;” Cate Blanchett narrates the feature-length version. Ennio Morricone will provide the score for “Voyage of Time,” marking the Italian composer’s first collaboration with Malick since “Days of Heaven.”

For more, watch the trailer for “The Thin Red Line”: