Update: Along with the news that Radegund‘s sales will be handled by Mister Smith Entertainment, Screen Daily have provided a new synopsis that gives further insight into Malick’s approach. It, along with the original story, can be read below.
With technically three films premiering and/or getting a theatrical release in 2016, Terrence Malick‘s output is at an all-time high and it looks like more from the elusive director will be rolled out in the consecutive years to come. His Austin-set drama Weightless is eying a release in the first half of 2017 and now we know the vague timing of when we’ll see his World War II drama Radegund.
Buried in a profile from THR (with a hat tip to Dark Horizons) on producer Philip Lee it’s revealed the film will debut in 2018, which is fairly in line with Malick’s standards — and even a bit early compared to some of his production timetables. His drama depicts the life of Austria’s Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), a conscientious objector during World War II who was put to death at the age of 36 for undermining military actions. Valerie Pachner and Ulrich Matthes also star, and there have been rumors that Bruno Ganz, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Jürgen Prochnow are part of the ensemble, but this has yet to be confirmed.
As we prepare for the wait, to get a sense of the style we might expect, see our excerpt from Malick’s recent public appearance:
While the director has enjoyed the freedom that comes from this mode of production, he claims to be gravitating back toward working with clear scripts and pre-planned productions. (He recently finished shooting his WWII drama, Radegund, in Europe.) Malick does not see this as an imposition on his creativity, but, in fact, a better enabling factor: it is easier and more productive to go off the rails, he says, when rails are in place to begin with.
Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey and Weightless will be released in 2017 while Radegund will be released in 2018.
Synopsis:
Opening at Jägerstätter’s home in the idyllic Austrian countryside, the film follows Franz and his wife Fani along their path of resistance. Told through real wartime letters, this love story finds the couple in conflict with the members of their close-knit town, their church, their government and even their friends – all of which brings them to a dramatic choice.