The Coen Brothers to split up?

It is being speculated that the director duo Ethan and Joel Coen, collectively referred to as The Coen Brothers, have parted ways. The news comes from the duo's frequent collaborator, music composer Carter Burwell.

During a recent podcast appearance, Burwell said that Ethan Coen is likely to retire from filmmaking or shift his focus towards other mediums. Burwell said, "Ethan just didn’t want to make movies anymore. Ethan seems very happy doing what he’s doing, and I’m not sure what Joel will do after this. They also have a ton of scripts they’ve written together that are sitting on various shelves."

Moreover, the upcoming film The Tragedy of Macbeth marks Joel Coen's first turn as a solo director ever since the brothers made their directorial debut in 1984 with Blood Simple. Burwell has collaborated with The Coen Brothers on 16 projects, from Blood Simple to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. 

Burwell, who is also scoring for The Tragedy of Macbeth, added, "It’s a little different to have one of the brothers there. And I know Ethan, I saw him toward the end of last year and Joel was out prepping the shoot in LA, he said it felt strange that Joel is out there getting ready to make a movie. But Ethan didn’t want to do it. He wants to do other things."

The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, is an adaptation of the William Shakespeare play. The film is scheduled to have its world premiere at the 2021 New York Film Festival in September, before premiering globally on Apple TV+.