Terrence Malick, the reclusive and less-than-prolific director, is reportedly currently at work on two IMAX pictures; one his meditative Tree of Life work, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, the other an “ambitious documentary” which, according to The Playlist, is a natural history IMAX piece depicting “the birth and death of the universe”.

Much more is known about Tree of Life, his wildly ambitious project which has drawn comparisons in scope and greater sense of madness to Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain. SlashFilm gleaned some factual information on the projects from Wikipedia, stating: “We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world’s way, of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth.”

Malick has been renowned for the lack of work he has given to the world but, by his standards, is proving comparatively prolific in the past ten years. His last two, The Thin Red Line and The New World, are both epic in scope and scale but both hugely rewarding to those willing to invest time in their theses. If nothing else, this is the man who gave the world Badlands and Days of Heaven, works of mastery in blending character, landscape and myth, and Tree of Life should prove a challenge to savour for a filmmaker with his gifts.

Tree of Life is seemingly still at least a year away yet but this seems like something to get really excited about, as any project involving the great man should be.