In order to put "The Thin Red Line" on the big screen, Terrence Malick, who has been in film for 20 years, re-directed and adapted the novel into a screenplay. He also encountered American movies at the Advanced Film Research Center of the American Film Association. George Stevens Jr., founder of the association and executive producer of the film.
In the script of the film, Malik explores a new theme that is not in the original work, that is, thinking about the natural and anthropological environment around the battlefield. The brutal mechanized battle is carried out in the pristine wilderness, so that the power of destruction and the peaceful and harmonious natural environment are in fierce conflict.
As early as 1988, Malik had approached the producers Robert Michael Geisler and John Roberto and proposed to make the novel "The Thin Red Line" into a movie. They found the author's widow Gloria Jones And obtained the right to film the adaptation. Geisler and Roberto then approached Mike Madavoi, the chairman of the Phoenix Film Company, who had served as Marek’s agent, and hoped that he could inject funds to raise the film. At first, Malik only wanted to be responsible for adapting the script, but finally decided to direct the film himself. In September 1996, Malik and Phoenix Films found Grant Hill, the producer who was filming "Titanic" in Mexico.
In the lineup behind the film, the art director Jack Fisk, the first assistant director Skipper Kosper, the casting director Diana Crittenton and the editor Billy Weber are all Malick’s old partners. In addition, Hans Zmir, who was responsible for the soundtrack of the film, and photographer John Thor, were both Oscar winners.
