Here’s some great news for you – Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life has been officially rated by the MPAA. The film will be rated PG-13 for ’some thematic material’. To be completely honest I don’t give a monkeys about the rating, I’m just happy someone has officially seen the film. Hope has finally held out its hand that we may will see this in 2010. Malick is quite possibly my favourite director, his films are deeply philosophical, rich and visually stunning. Since his debut film Badlands in 1973, Malick has only made three other films (Days Of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The New World). I’m supremely confident his fifth will be as amazing, if not more so than his previous work, I don’t usually care for awards but I really hope Malick get’s some love for this. Hopefully we can get some stills and dare I say it a trailer in the next few months. Check out the synopsis below.

Our picture is a cosmic epic, a hymn to life. 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.

Framing this story is that of adult Jack, a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part. When he sees all that has gone into our world’s preparation, each thing appears a miracle – precious, incomparable. Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life. The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family — our first school — the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life’s single most important lesson, of unselfish love. The Tree Of Life is directed by Terrence Mallick and stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.

Empire recently talked to Brad Pitt about his new film with Terrence Malick – The Tree Of Life.  He doesn’t give much away, but to date it’s about as much info as we’ve been given.  I’m a HUGE (notice the caps-lock) fan of Terrence Malick, his films are always thought provoking, profound and visually stunning, something I fully expect from this. I’ve come to the conclusion that Terrence Malick has flying ninja monkey’s stationed around the world, who’s sole purpose in life is to keep his work secretive. Even considering how little I know about this film, along with Inception it is my most anticipated film of the year. Hopefully tomorrow this will be announced in the Cannes Film Festival line-up.

When we asked him if this was a science fiction film (yes, even that is in doubt), Pitt replied, “Well, in a way. It’s this little tiny story of a kid growing up in the 50s with a mother who’s grace incarnate and a father who’s oppressive in nature. So he is negotiating his way through it, defining who he’s gonna be when he grows up. And that is juxtaposed with a little, tiny micro-story of the cosmos, from the beginning of the cosmos to the death of the cosmos. So that’s where the sci-fi – or the sci-fact – comes in.”

Pitt also confirmed that Heath Ledger was originally set for a role in the film. “He was gonna do it at one point, and then he was puling out for one reason or another, and we were involved ["we" meaning Pitt's production company Plan B], so I just stepped in.”

This is the best bit of movie news I’ve heard in a while, it made my day, literally! Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Terrence Malick has his next film lined up, an untitled romantic drama which is ready to start shooting Autumn 2010. I’m a HUGE (note the caps lock) admirer of Terrence Malick, patience has definitely been a virtue for a fan of Malick, this is the guy who has made 5 movies in 37 years, including a 20 year break between Days Of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, his fifth film is being released this year – The Tree Of Life. To put the cherry on top the cast on board is great Christian Bale (who had a role in Malick’s 2005 film, “The New World”) , Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, and Olga Kurylenko. Romance movies generally don’t prick my ears up,  if anyone could make a moving romance film that I personally would enjoy, it would be Malick, his movies are always visually stunning, philosophical and touching.