Joel Coen is prepping his upcoming Macbeth adaptation (sans Ethan) starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. The official title of the A24-produced title film is “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” and although shooting was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production seems to have been completed in the last few weeks.
For those of us wishing for a Coen-esque feature, expect disappointment since Joel has admitted that his adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tale will be very faithful to the original text, with around “85% of the language” being kept for the film version.
Not just that, but according to Costume Designer Mary Zophres, appearing on the Team Deakins podcast, “The Tragedy of MacBeth”was shot digitally in black and white. The only other Coen not shot in color was 2001’s “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” (Zophres mentions it at 1 hour and 11 minute mark).
This is the first non-episodic Coen film since 2016’s “Hail Caesar.” It’s a peculiar project, to say the least, with brother Ethan not being part of the project because he “didn’t want to do it”. It’s a conspicuous absence, most notably due to the fact that the Coens have always worked together (Joel is usually credited as the director, Ethan as the co-writer). They haven’t missed a collaboration since their 1984 debut, “Blood Simple.”
“Macbeth” is set to be released by A24, but no release date has been confirmed yet.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.