Joel Coen is not holding back on the state of the film business. Speaking at Lyon’s Lumière Film Festival, where he and brother Ethan received a career tribute, Joel warned that studio consolidation is bad for cinema — and teased that the legendary duo could reunite for a new film set in their hometown of Minneapolis.
Joel and Ethan Coen (Credits: Variety)
On corporate mergers reshaping Hollywood, Joel put it bluntly: “Competition is what drives the market, but it’s also what produces opportunities for different kinds of movies.” It was a clear shot at the wave of consolidation that has swallowed studios and shrunk the room for the kind of mid-budget, director-driven films the Coens made their name with.
A Minneapolis Homecoming Eight Years in the Making
The brothers’ last joint film was The Ballad of Buster Scruggs in 2018. Since then, Joel directed The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington, while Ethan made Drive-Away Dolls and Honey Don’t! with wife and collaborator Tricia Cooke.
Now, a reunion could be brewing back where it all started. The brothers revealed they have several projects in the pipeline set in Minneapolis, where they previously shot Fargo in 1996 and A Serious Man in 2009. Ethan admitted the appeal is partly personal: “We’ve discussed going back because there are certain crew people we missed.”
Frances McDormand Is Playing Matchmaker
The push is coming from inside the family. At the Lumière ceremony, Frances McDormand — Joel’s wife of 42 years — playfully urged the brothers on stage to complete the unofficial trilogy that began with Fargo and A Serious Man. “I think Fran wants to see it,” Joel joked. “We’ll see if we can accommodate her.”
Joel also weighed in on AI in filmmaking, dismissing the idea of AI screenwriters as “nonsense” and criticizing heavy computer-generated effects for turning cinema into a “cartoonish” format compared to the practical techniques of their 1990 classic Miller’s Crossing. The message from the Coens is clear: fewer monopolies, more real movies.
Also Read: Coen Brothers Accept Lumiere Award With Hilariously Profane Thank-You and Tease a New Film Together
Source: Variety — read the full story there.