Ryan Gosling & Iggy Pop for new Terrence Malick film

Song to Song, the latest film from Terrence Malick, will feature Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender alongside a slate of musicians including Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and Florence and the Machine 

Following on from his Hollywood-set Knight of Cups, Terrence Malick has made a love story set within the Austin music scene. As reported by IndieWire, the new film is called Song to Song. The first image released from the film, which can be seen above, shows three of its stars – Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling – looking cool by a pool. 

This film, described as a “modern love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene,” reportedly follows two entangled couples as they “chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.” The two couples in question are “struggling songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Natalie Portman).”

Being as it's set within Austin's music scene, expect plenty of musicians to turn up in smaller roles. Patti Smith, Lykke Li, the Black Lips, Iggy Pop, Florence and the Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers all feature according to IndieWire, although it’s not stated if they’re playing themselves. Arcade Fire and Iron and Wine are also rumoured to be involved in the project.

Previously titled Weightless, Malick has been filming bits and pieces for Song to Song over the last five years. Back in 2012 Val Kilmer made a strange appearance at Austin festival Fun Fun Fun Fest where he crashed the Black Lips’ set for a sequence in the film (watch the madness below, with Malick's cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki filming on stage). Malick regular Christian Bale made a similar cameo with Fleet Foxes at the Austin City Limits festival in 2011. 

As many actors who’ve been hired by Malick already know, working on one of the filmmaker’s projects is no guarantee you’ll appear in the final cut. We’ll find out on 17 March, when the film is released in the States.