Terrence Malick Sued By Investors For Not Going On His VOYAGE OF TIME

An investment group that gave director Terrence Malick millions of dollars to direct a project he described as "one of my greatest dreams" is now suing him, alleging that he has forgotten to produce said project. 

The project is Voyage of Time, and as Malick described it, it would "portray the events of our cosmic history, as well as the state of the earth now and the prospects for its future." The film would be a daunting project, with destinations in Southwestern U.S, Hawaii, Iceland, Monterey, Chile, Palau, The Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. Malick was under contract to make two Imax films at about 45 minutes a tick and then a feature length film clocking in anywhere between 90 to 150 minutes. 

Any Malick film less than two hours is not a true Malick film, I say. 

As the deadline for the film neared in 2012, Malick began asking for more money and time. On top of the $3.3 million he got from the investor group, Seven Seas Partnership, Malick also got another $2.5 million from a not-for-profit foundation. Seven Seas wants their money back as well as any intellectual property and compensation for lost profits. Their lawsuit claims that instead of staying committed to this project Malick has "dedicated his energies to four other films in the last five years."  

The director, known for coming out of hiding to make a film what seems like only once a decade, has been suddenly very busy with work. Those projects would be Tree of Life, To The Wonder, Knight of Cups, starring Christian Bale and Natalie Portman, and another unnamed project to date. The investors claim in the suit they believe their money was "co-mingled with other financial assets to support the production of other films by Malick."

The firm representing Malick and Sycamore Films responded, saying, "The claims of Seven Seas are without merit. The film was on budget, on schedule, and all funds were used appropriately. Additionally, Seven Seas' decision to file this lawsuit under the cover of darkness and go public with accusations before presenting Sycamore with a copy of the suit itself speaks to the weakness of the allegations."