New/Old 'The Tree Of Life' France Release Date Rumor Circulates, Film To Premiere At Berlin Fest?

A new/old rumor is beginning to circulate around the web that Terrence Malick's highly anticipated "The Tree Of Life" is scheduled to hit theaters in France on February 23, 2011. We're not sure why this particular rumor is building steam now; EuropaCorp president Pierre-Ange Le Pogam made the comment regarding the release date last month shortly after Fox Searchlight acquired the film.

While the date has been given fresh life thanks to a tweet by Cédric Succivalli aka OnTheCroisette who speculates that if it does hit theaters in late February, a Berlin Film Festival bow is most likely for the premiere, whether that's correct remains to be seen. International dates for the film have been floated since last summer (previously scheduled dates for Australia and the UK can still be found if you dig) but they have pretty much been placeholders as everyone has waited for Malick to finish the film. It also should be noted that on the Europacorp website, "The Tree Of Life" remains listed simply as "Coming Soon." It's more probable that Fox Searchlight and the producers are working with international territories on a rollout that will, most likely, involve the likes of Brad Pitt and Sean Penn stumping for the film. And frankly, while the film may be highly anticipated to Malick fans, enticing a more mainstream audience to a cerebral film about "nature vs. grace" will need its stars talking it up. Particularly in a film where Brad Pitt plays against type.

That said, while release dates are still to be ironed out, a Berlin Film Festival premiere is not without precedent. "The Thin Red Line" and "The New World" both premiered at the festival, however, will Fox Searchlight choose to unveil the high profile, star powered film by one of the world's most celebrated directors there, when more prestigious festivals like Cannes are aching for it? As Anne Thompson noted last month, Cannes, Berlin and Sundance are all vying to land the film.

So we'll end this story with the one fact we do know: "The Tree Of Life" will hit theaters sometime in 2011.