While Martin Scorsese aims to kick off production on his Jesus film this year, Terrence Malick is going on year five of editing his, marking one of the only films to wrap production pre-pandemic that still has yet to be released. As so happens every year before the Cannes Film Festival announces its lineup, rumors have swirled that the director’s Biblical epic The Way of the Wind (formerly known as The Last Planet) may see a premiere in 2024. We will, unfortunately, have to wait another year, but in the meantime we have exclusive new details on the highly anticipated project.

Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts), but rather the main crux is Peter wanting Jesus to become politically involved in stopping Roman oppression and Jesus not believing he should. Röhrig also confirmed Jesus won’t perform any miracles in the film, making for a rather grounded approach. He also mentioned Malick first hoped to make the film in the 1990s with Disney and a large budget, but he departed the project when the studio wouldn’t give him the final cut; he then embarked on The Thin Red Line.

Röhrig also detailed his process of coming aboard the project, about which he received a message from his agent that an undisclosed director wanted him to star as Jesus in a film. After studying for the part, he met the mysterious director at an Italian restaurant. Röhrig––primarily a poet and punk-rock artist who made his acting debut in Son of Saul––didn’t recognize Malick, so called his wife to ask if Terrence Malick is “anyone notable,” and got the good news of his legendary stature.

Also starring Mark Rylance as Satan alongside Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, Tawfeek Barhom, Douglas Booth, and Aidan Turner, further updates have been sparse, but we learned last year Malick is “very happy” with the edit. If a 2025 premiere is indeed in the cards, it would be the longest editing stretch of Malick’s career.

“There isn’t much time to converse during film shoots. There I stood, as Satan, with 28 pages of monologue running through my mind, while Jesus barely uttered a word,” Rylance said. “Most of the time, I tempt Jesus as Satan; it’s not the situation for extensive discussions. During filming, there’s no time for rehearsals, so it’s not the moment for lengthy conversations. It’s akin to a boxer focusing solely on stepping into the ring. Discussing Hungarian history doesn’t help in such moments. Especially not in a Terrence Malick film, where everything is at stake. However, I got along very well with Géza [Röhrig, who plays Jesus]; it was a great honor to act alongside the lead of Son of Saul. I believe Son of Saul rightfully belongs among the top ten films of all time, and his performance is astounding. I hope that Terrence eventually completes the film.”

As we await more details, check out this fascinating Malick-related bit from Paul Williams’ recent memoir Harvard, Hollywood, Hitmen, and Holy Men: A Memoir.

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