Vanquish those 2010 Oscar hopes right now. In a press release distributed this a.m., Fox Searchlight announced today that they acquired rights for Terrence Malick’s long-anticipated drama, “The Tree Of Life,” starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain.
But, collective guesses that the film would arrive within this calendar year are off. The film will be pegged for a release sometime in 2011 and if we were betting people that means Fall 2011, which means most of you won’t be seeing it for almost another year.
If we’re lucky we’ll see the picture at Cannes 2011. Surely the picture will be ready at that juncture, but will Searchlight and Malick want to blow their wad that early? It’s completely possible they will, but we’re not sure we would, personally. If you show a film too early in the year, it’s easy for Oscar talk to cool closer to the actual season. That said, “The Tree of Life” is said to be experimental and could be a difficult sell, so global praise at Cannes could help a slow-build Oscar campaign.
“Terrence Malick has crafted a deeply moving, keenly observed and magisterial film,” Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley said in a 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.”
Deadline was both right and wrong. Earlier this week, they said the filmed would be announcing distribution plans imminently (which obviously happened), yet, they also said the film would join the 2010 Oscar race. Either way, the wait — at least for a distributor, and some semblance of a release date — is over. Now we just have to see the damn thing.
Sweet jesus, seriously? Tree of Life: Late 2011. Highlarryous
bah
bummer on the release date.
GOD DAMN IT! Im so sick of waiting!
You got to be joking 2011. Who bet's Malick other picture comes out first ?
*commits suicide*
DAMNIT!!! At least release a DAMN TRAILER FOR US!
I don't care about this movie that much but I am so highly amused about how much everyone else is losing their minds over it. Guys… what if it's not that good? WHAT THEN? I mean, it has fucking dinosaurs for crying out loud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCySTWFcnlM&feature=related
If it is so experimental is there a chance they won't do Oscars? It could be an early summer release.
DO NOT EVEN, KATIE….
I know, I'm terrible. I'm winding everyone up for my amusement. But someone has to ask these questions!
I agree with Katie, everyone is just ahhhhh, why such a long wait!!! They haven't seen a trailer or anything.
What happens if it isn't good. For their sake I hope it is good, because they sure are hyping it up.
So.. uh Australia. still full speed ahead on that release date… right?
I don't believe in Late 2011.
EuropaCorp has announced, just after the Fox Searchlight announcement (this is obviously linked) that they will release it in February in France, and French speaking region of Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Even better, EuropaCorp seems to know the Fox Searchlight release date in the US : December 5.
Source: http://www.lefilmfrancais.com/125-cinema-actualites/103238-qtree-of-lifeq-de-terrence-malick-en-salle-en-fevrier
Dream on, Mr. Naivete (Inderweltsein). Those were euro dates tentatively slotted when Europeans were told the film might have a December 2010 date (hence the Dec 5 date you found).
Also, just cause you see a date on the internet — especially with this constantly in flux movie — doesn't mean its true.
Also, dream on again if you think the Euro market is going to determine the release date first.
So a special press conference yesterday at their convention, to announce nothing, to tease theater owners for nothing.. And just two hours after the Fox SearchLight announcement, it's just a coincidence..?
A big coincidence knowing that EuropaCorp had never announced any official date until yesterday for a film they had acquired the rights in 2008.
By the way, LeFilmFrançais is a professional publication (you have to be part of the movie production world) that is only announcing real projects, and that never publish gossip…
So ok the american date is probably bogus.. But the indices of seriousness for the EuropaCorp release are really striking..
Is it impossible there have been discussions between Pohlad/River Road and EuropaCorp to let them know what the state of the negociation with Fox SearchLight was ? And that when a schedule for the US release was sure , EuropaCorp infered and announced his own schedule, after having waited the green ligh of the official announcement from Fox SearchLight that they know was coming?
Sure, this is speculation, but at least as much speculation as the late 2011 gossip, isn't it ?
Information Le Pogam (head of EuropaCorp) has given at this conference about The Tree of Life:
the most recent cut they have recently seen has a length of 2h40.
River Road will deliver them a final cut of 2h15 in the coming weeks that Malick has worked on these past weeks/months..