If Terrence Malick’s soon-to-be-released spiritual drama Knight of Cups tackles themes of existentialism through the lens of Christian Bale’s lapsed Hollywood screenwriter, the director’s next feature, Voyage of Time, takes that experimental drive to the stars.
Reportedly on course for a theatrical bow later in 2016, Wild Bunch has offered up our first look at the director’s grand feature, showcasing a photograph of a circular celestial nebula, a lizard’s eye and human eye all running in parallel. Remaining as mysterious as ever, little more was shared regarding Malick’s thought-provoking effort, though we assume that it’s teasing the lineage of time from the formative stages of the universe billions of years ago up until the here and now.
Featuring an orchestral score from Ennio Morricone, what really catches our attention is the release plans for Voyage of Time. On the one hand, Malick and Wild Bunch are releasing a 40-minute IMAX version narrated by Brad Pitt, tailor-made to be a cerebral documentary, with a second, feature length cut narrated by Cate Blanchett also on course to release.
Here’s the official description of both:
“‘Voyage of Time’ is a celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.”
Charting the humble beginnings of the universe has been done countless times in the past, with Neil DeGrasse Tyson recently bringing a new take to Carl Sagan’s beloved Cosmos series. Even still, with Terrence Malick’s deft eye for elegant style behind the lens, Voyage of Time projected in IMAX has all the makings of a must-see event film.