UPDATE: I got tipped this morning about how Joel’s “Jack of Spades,” starring Josh O’Connor, which was supposed to shoot this summer, had its production stalled in Scotland. I’m told that is not true, and in fact, he’s actually just started shooting.
EARLIER: We’re all hoping for a reunion between the Coen brothers. They’re one of the great filmmakers.
Just this summer, a New York Times poll on the greatest films of the century placed four Coen titles in the top 100, including the Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and “O Brother Where Art Thou?”
Last year, we learned that the brothers were apparently not done making movies together. Ethan recently confirmed that he and Joel had written a script, a horror project, and that the two would “hopefully” make it down the line. The caveat? It may be a while.
Now, speaking to The San Francisco Chronicle, Ethan gives us a small update on the potential reunion with Joel, and that project’s definitely not been scrapped:
I wrote (a script) with Joel maybe a year and a half ago now. For some reason we were staying in the Castro. It’s a horror movie that I hope we get made at some point. You just don’t know in what order they’re going to happen.
The duo have been making films for 40 years but haven’t since “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (2018). Since then, Joel went solo with “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (2021), while Ethan has been busy with his wife and longtime editor Tricia Cooke. The pair are currently midway through what Ethan describes as a lesbian B-movie trilogy. Last year brought us “Drive-Away Dolls,” followed this summer by “Honey Don’t!” A third entry, with the working title “Go, Beavers!” is also happening.
Still, it’s the idea of a Coen brothers horror film that’s whetting our appetites. Their brand of dark comedy and existential dread seems tailor-made for the genre, though whether it’ll be next on their slate remains unclear.
The Coen’s body of work ranks them among America’s most acclaimed filmmakers, with classics like “Fargo,” “No Country for Old Men,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Barton Fink,” and “Miller’s Crossing” to their credit.
As for the NYT poll, which had four of their films included on the list, Ethan couldn’t resist poking fun at the accolade: “What was wrong with the other 15?” he deadpanned.
Good point.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.