Terrence Malick is so secretive with his projects that it's sort of a perfect storm for the internet era. People track down any and all morsels of information and get hung up on whatever might be breathed about this or that project (the filmmaker is uncharacteristically prolific these last few years). Naturally, with a pair of films on the way sooner or later, the feeding frenzy is on, particularly as it pertains to “Knight of Cups” (the only one of them with a title). Is it going to hit theaters this year? That's what the film's Italian distributor says, anyway.
Speaking at the annual Ciné event in Riccione, Adler CEO Ernest Grassi said Malick's film “will be released later this year in the U.S. in a few theaters and widened. It is a candidate for many Oscar nominations.” OK, then.
Naturally, people would like to just take his word for it, but, well, the film has no domestic distribution. Perhaps Grassi was indicating that the film was bound for the fall festival circuit, which is entirely possible if indeed it's ready to go. Last year's “To the Wonder” played Venice and Toronto in 2012 before Magnolia eventually acquired it for release.
“Knight of Cups” stars Christian Bale and Natalie Portman. The plot has been tightly guarded but is said to be about celebrities and excess. There are also a slew of other well-known actors involved, from Nick Offerman to Cate Blanchett, but you never can tell who will end up on the cutting room floor when it comes to Malick.
Anyway, if all of this sounds vague, it should. We have nothing real to report. A guy in Italy said something. That's about where it stands.
“Knight of Cups” will hit theaters eventually.