10 Directors Who Took Insane Breaks Between Movies
2. Terrence Malick
One director who is well known for his penchant to take long breaks between production is Terrence Malick. His film, Days of Heaven from 1978 was only his second work as director, and while the film did remarkably well earning him a great deal of praise, he wouldn't return for 20 years.
He won the coveted Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for Days of Heaven, which also took home the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, which suggested the director would continue to make amazing movies. To be fair, he did do exactly that, but only after a considerable break.
Malick's hiatus from the industry was the stuff of Hollywood legend, and several mysteries and rumors sprung up trying to explain his absence. From teaching to exploration, just about everything was thrown around as to why he wasn't making films, but the reality of his absence was rather mundane.
As it happens, Malick was working during that time, but on several failed projects, which ultimately failed to come to fruition. After 20 years of not releasing anything, he helmed The Thin Red Line in 1998, another critically acclaimed film. Since then, his pace has quickened, and he has released 11 films between 1998 and 2019.