Fox Searchlight has acquired U.S. rights to Terrence Malick's long gestating "The Tree of Life" from River Road Entertainment, the studio announced on Thursday.
"Tree of Life" stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. Though the pick-up signals that Malick may have finally left the editing suite, Fox Searchlight is apparently not going to mount an Oscar campaign for the supernatural drama — at least not this year.
Fox Searchlight said it will release the film in 2011, which makes sense, since the studio already has four awards contenders opening this fall, including Danny Boyle's "127 Hours," Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go" and the Hilary Swank drama "Conviction."
"Terrence Malick has crafted a deeply moving, keenly observed and magisterial film," Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley said in a joint statement. "Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and the entire cast's performances are simply amazing. This is a signature film by a signature filmmaker and we are proud to be releasing it."
Malick's lyrical style and meditations on life and nature in films such as "Badlands," "The Thin Red Line," and "Days of Heaven" have made him a critical favorite. "Tree of Life" seems very much in that impressionistic vein, and centers on a young boy from a Midwestern family in the 1950's and his complicated relationship with his father (Pitt). This is no typical kitchen sink drama, however, as the press material for the film says that the boy also explores "the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith."
Malick is an inveterate tinkerer, and "Tree of Life" has been no exception. The movie was widely expected to make its debut at this year's Cannes Film Festival, but reportedly was not finished in time to make it into competition. If Malick's latest does wind up going the festival route, expect Fox Searchlight to unveil the film at Cannes next May.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it was brokered on Fox Searchlight's side by Executive Vice President of Worldwide Acquisitions Tony Safford and Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O'Brien. Mitch Horwits, President of River Road Entertainment negotiated on behalf of the company.
