Terrence Malick’s Biblical Epic ‘The Way of the Wind’ Targets 2025 Cannes Premiere

Terrence Malick’s directorial film, The Way of the Wind, is still awaiting the green light for its theatrical release. It has been five years since the beginning of the film’s production, and it’s been in post-production for three years. As a customary ritual, the Cannes Film Festival announced its lineup, following which rumors swirled that the film may see a premiere in 2024. Unfortunately, to witness the epic biblical drama, fans have to wait for another year. However, the details regarding The Way of the Wind, including the recently revealed plot, raise the anticipation among the audience.

What is the plot of Terrence Malick’s ‘The Way of the Wind’?

Filmmaker Terrence Malick is known for delivering films that adhere to poetic and philosophical elements and explore themes related to nature, human existence, and spirituality. This time, the filmmaker is bringing the epic biblical drama The Way of the Wind, which retells and chronicles several episodes in Jesus of Nazareth’s life story. 

The film features Hungarian actor Géza Röhrig as Jesus. The actor is prominently known for his role in the 2015 film Son of Saul, which won the Grand Prix at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. 

Recently, during a conversation, Röhrig confirmed that his upcoming film The Way of the Wind is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. The film will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts). Rather, Malick, who also wrote the script, focuses on Saint Peter’s perspective, who wants Jesus to become politically involved in stopping Roman oppression. However, Jesus declines his notion. Röhrig also confirmed that, in the film, Jesus won’t be performing any miracles, and they have taken a grounded approach. He even revealed that Malick first wished to make the film in the 1990s with Disney at a large budget, but he passed the project when the studio didn’t give him the final cut. He then made The Thin Red Line.

During the conversation, Röhrig also reflected on how he ended up securing the role of Jesus. He shared that he received a message from his agent that an undisclosed director wanted him to star as Jesus in a film. After thoroughly going through his part in the film, the actor decided to meet the mysterious director at an Italian restaurant. When he met Malick, Röhrig failed to recognize him. So, to know about the filmmaker, he called his wife to ask if Terrence Malick was “anyone notable” and discovered the legendary stature of the director. 

The film also stars Mark Rylance as Satan alongside Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, Tawfeek Barhom, Douglas Booth, and Aidan Turner.