Ethan Coen Confirms He's Reuniting With Joel For A Coen Brothers Project
When Joel and Ethan Coen revealed they would be splitting up for an indeterminate amount of time to pursue solo ventures, cinephiles the world over were bereft. This sibling partnership, which kicked off with the neo-noir masterpiece "Blood Simple" in 1984, had been responsible for more celluloid classics than any filmmaking team in the medium's history (yes, even Powell & Pressburger). And judging from 2018's Western anthology, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," they were still cooking with plenty of gas.
But life is short, and unless the 60-plus-year-old brothers are looking to set human longevity records, now is the time to start tending to personal passion projects — and, thus far, it seems like a good thing they did! Joel's 2021 film of "The Tragedy of Macbeth" starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand was the most wickedly concise adaptation of The Bard's work I've ever seen. As for "Drive-Away Dolls," Ethan's road-comedy collaboration with editor-screenwriter Tricia Cooke, it doesn't hit theaters until September 22, 2023, but the trailer and cast are quite enticing!
Still, we've gone five years without a full-on Coen Brothers movie (their longest break ever), and, well, our lives are short, too. We can't help but demand more joy from two of our greatest living filmmakers. And so it is a relief to learn that this two-man band is preparing to reunite.
We can't quit the Coens, and, fortunately, they can't quit each other
During an interview for the August 2023 issue of Empire, Ethan Coen disclosed that he is developing a new project with Joel — one that might take precedence over his next planned pairing with Tricia Cooke.
First off, it's important to Ethan that moviegoers understand that he has not "gone solo." He co-wrote "Drive-Away Dolls" with Cooke (his wife of 33 years) and shared directorial duties as well (something the Directors Guild of America is weird about acknowledging). As for what their next movie might be, all Cooke will say is that it's "another lesbian movie."
Ethan was even less forthcoming as to the content of his next film with Joel. There's been speculation online that it'll be another neo-noir, but the Coens are masters of misdirection. It's best to sit back and wait for official confirmation before getting worked up over which genre sandbox they're set to play in next. Maybe the time is at long last right for their adaptation of James Dickey's "To the White Sea," one of the greatest unmade screenplays gathering dust in Hollywood. Or perhaps they'll shatter our hearts and mimic the cool kids by signing on for a CG-laden remake of a Disney classic. Yeah, that's never happening.
All that matters is that the Coen brothers, as a filmmaking entity, still exist. Their "misses" would be triumphs for 99.9% of working directors. Wherever they wander off to, we will gladly follow.