Terrence Malick's Untitled Romance Now Called 'To The Wonder,' Lands R Rating

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by Kevin Jagernauth
May 15, 2012 9:06 AM
8 Comments

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we wondered if we were going to be seeing Terrence Malick's then-untitled romance starring (deep breath) Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, Javier Bardem, Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen and Amanda Peet before the end of the year. And at the time, the answer was: who knew? The enigmatic director keeps to himself and likes to continually tinker, but with two more movies gearing up this year in the formerly titled "Lawless" and "Knight Of Cups," we hoped that meant this one was finally nearing the finish line. And it appears that's the case.

The Classifications & Rating Administration (CARA) has revealed (via The Film Stage) that the film is now called "To The Wonder," and has been rated R for "some sexuality/nudity." Hot. To refresh your memory, the story centers on a man (Affleck) who, feeling at loose ends, travels to Paris, and enters a hot-and-heavy affair with a European woman (Kurylenko). He returns home to Oklahoma, where he marries the European woman (in part for visa reasons), only for the relationship to fall apart. He winds up rekindling a romance with a hometown girl (McAdams) with whom he's had a long history. And while that sounds like a traditional storyline, early word was that the film was even more experimental than "The Tree Of Life" (whatever that means). But either way, nothing is ever very ordinary in a Malick film.

However, whether or not this means we'll see the movie in 2012 is unknown. "To The Wonder" is still without a domestic distribution deal (though rights to Canada, U.K. and other territories have already been sold) so it remains to be seen where this will land. Malick is on the board of advisors for Tugg, the web platform that lets users vote and organize screenings in their town for various films. Could he strike it out on his own and self-distribute? Or will he go down the traditional path? Footage from "To The Wonder" has screened for domestic buyers, though no deals have been made thus far. Could he be waiting for a festival before shaking hands with a distributor in the U.S.? All we can do is speculate.

So in short, we now have a title and a rating for "To The Wonder." But as for when we'll see it? Again, your guess is as good as ours, but it's a baby step forward.

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More: Terrence Malick, To the Wonder, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel Weisz, Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen, Amanda Peet

8 Comments

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great | August 29, 2012 11:12 PMReply

awesome
Lucy | May 17, 2012 6:56 PMReply

Hell yeah! Exciting news. I was just starting high school when I went and saw The New World and I fell in love. I was hypnotized by it so I went home to research Malicks other films, he quickly became one of my favorite directors. The fact that he keeps making more films now thrills me to no end.
Sharon | May 15, 2012 11:56 AMReply

I would say that now there is a final cut. But before this they may not have been. Malick might have wanted to wait until this time to pick a US distributor. Hopefully, we will hear about a US release date soon.
jon | May 15, 2012 10:15 AMReply

I wouldn't be surprised if he screens this for buyers at Cannes in the next few days. Remember he took The Tree of Life to Telluride and held private screenings for buyers there. The timing seems rather perfect.

I can't wait to see this.
Sharon | May 15, 2012 9:52 AMReply

From what I've read, Malick does not sign on to US distributors until he has the final cut of a film. He doesn't want anyone tampering with his cut and who can blame him.
Huffy | May 15, 2012 10:44 AM

Why would they submit it for a rating if it wasn't final cut?
KitCon | May 15, 2012 9:27 AMReply

It's still amazing that he already submitted a finished cut to be rated.