During their long careers, American filmmakersJoel and Ethan Coen have worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under their direction. Some of these productions fell indevelopment hell or were cancelled.[1][2][3][4][5]
In 1986, the Coen brothers wrote the scriptSuburbicon, and had intended on directing the film themselves, but it was put aside and shelved in favor of other projects at the time. Later, in the 2000s, they sought out the script fromWarner Bros., who owned the rights, and rewrote it with a contemporary setting and withGeorge Clooney in mind to star. Clooney ultimately directedSuburbicon himself, with a script rewritten byGrant Heslov to take place in 1957.[6]
In March 1997, it was reported inVariety that the Coens were in discussions atUniversal Pictures to directBrad Pitt in an adaptation ofJames Dickey'sTo the White Sea, scripted byDavid andJanet Peoples.[7] In August 2000, Pitt officially signed on to star in the film.[8][9][10][11][12] They were due to start production in 2002, withJeremy Thomas producing, but it was cancelled when the Coens felt that the budget offered was not enough to successfully produce the film.[13] TheHouston Chronicle reported that "no studio would fund the film."[14] In August 2015, it was announced thatWarner Bros. acquired the film rights to the book and that their screenplay was scrapped and that another writer and/or director would replace them.[15][16][17]
In an April 1998 interview with Alex Simon forVenice magazine, the Coens discussed a project calledThe Contemplations, which was to have been an anthology of short films based on stories in a leather bound book from a "dusty old library".[20] This project may have influenced or evolved intoThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), which has the same structure.[1][2][4]
It was reported in 2004[21] that the Coen brothers were to make aCold War-related comedy film project titled62 Skidoo.[22]Nicolas Cage was attached to the project.[23]
In 2008, it was announced that the Coen brothers were to write and direct a film adaptation ofMichael Chabon's novelThe Yiddish Policemen's Union forColumbia Pictures.[24][25][26]Scott Rudin, who collaborated with the brothers inNo Country for Old Men (2007), was to have served as producer.[27][28] When asked about the status of the project in 2015, Chabon confirmed: "Nothing. The Coen brothers wrote a draft of the script and then they seemed to move on. The rights have lapsed back to me."[29]
In 2009, the Coens stated that they were interested in making a sequel to their filmBarton Fink (1991) calledOld Fink, which would take place in the 1960s, around the same time period asA Serious Man (2009). The Coens also stated they had talks withJohn Turturro in reprising his role as Fink, but that they were waiting "until he was actually old enough to play the part".[30][31][32]
In September 2013, the Coens stated in an interview that they were working on a new musical comedy centered around an opera singer, though they said it is "not a musical per se".[35]
In an interview conducted with the Coen brothers in December 2013, the two expressed their involvement in a sprawlingsword-and-sandal epic set inancient Rome.[36]
The Coens have also written an as-yet-unproduced screenplay based on Macdonald'sThe Zebra-Striped Hearse, for producerJoel Silver. Silver first spoke of the project in May 2016.[6] In 2023, it was rumored that the brothers would possibly reunite to co-directThe Zebra-Striped Hearse, though Joel would deny this. He elaborated that he and Ethan had been hired years ago to adapt some Macdonald novels, but that he didn't know who was currently attached to make it.[41]
It was reported in October 2016 that the Coens would work on the screenplay for Fox titledDark Web, based on Joshuah Bearman's two-partWired article aboutRoss Ulbricht and his illicitSilk Road online marketplace. The project originated in 2013, with novelistDennis Lehane on board for the screenplay.Chernin Entertainment would produce.[42][43]
On February 10, 2017, it was announced that theScarface remake's script was being written by the Coens.[44]Luca Guadagnino announced plans to direct the film.[45]
In July 2023, Ethan disclosed that he would be reuniting with his brother Joel to direct a new film together, after their temporary split to pursue solo ventures.[46] In January 2024, he confirmed that they had both finished writing the script in the summer, revealing it to be "a purehorror film," noting that "if you likeBlood Simple, I think you'll enjoy it." Ethan's wifeTricia Cooke also added that their script was "horribly funny."[47][48] The following month, Ethan told theTimes Colonist that the plan was for him to next shootHoney Don't! before embarking with Joel on the planned horror film from their original screenplay. According to Ethan, they had both had the idea for a long time before writing it and that it was "in a mental drawer."[49] It was rumored to start shooting in the fall that year.[50]TheWrap teased that with the film, the Coens promise to deliver "a lot of fake blood. And ... feathers?"[51]
In early 2024, a proposed follow-up to Ethan's solo debutDrive-Away Dolls entitledGo Beavers was revealed. "It's about a reunion of a college crew team. But it's pretty trashy," he said at the time.[52] It was mooted by Ethan and his wifeTricia Cooke as the third entry in a "lesbianB movie trilogy", coming afterDrive-Away Dolls and a second calledHoney Don't.[53] However, in May 2025, Ethan stated that there were "no definite plans to do a third [film]."[54]
In a May 2025 interview forThe Hollywood Reporter, Ethan stated that he and his brother Joel had "an old thing that we've written" in addition to the untitledhorror film and a possible new project that they would co-write together.[54]
In a May 2025 interview forCollider, Ethan would express uncertainty as to what his next solo feature would be. "Me andTrish have talked about [doingGo Beavers], and actually started other scripts. We don't know what we're doing next," he said.[55]
