Ethan Coen Confirms He's Reuniting With Joel For A Coen Brothers Project

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.