Ethan Coen set to solo direct lesbian road trip comedy

American writer and director brothers Joel (R) and Ethan Coen, Jury Presidents of the 68th Cannes Film Festival. REUTERS/Yves Herman

American writer and director brothers Joel (R) and Ethan Coen, Jury Presidents of the 68th Cannes Film Festival. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Published Aug 10, 2022

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Ethan Coen is set to direct a lesbian road trip comedy.

The film will star Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanatha, both 27, with the plot centring on a party girl and her “buttoned-down” friend.

It comes after it was confirmed Coen, 64, would be going solo without his long-time directing partner Joel, 67, who last year directed “The Tragedy of Macbeth” without his younger sibling.

Coen wrote the road movie script for the as yet untitled road trip film, which has reportedly been inspired by American director Russ Meyer, alongside Joel’s wife Tricia Cooke in the early 2000s.

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A synopsis says: “The story centred on a party girl who takes a trip from Philadelphia to Miami with her buttoned-down friend. Cruising bars ensues as does the potpourri of a severed head in a hatbox, a bitter ex-girlfriend, a mystery briefcase and an evil senator.”

Production is set to begin this autumn after being initially announced for summer.

Qualley recently starred in Claire Denis’ Cannes feature “Stars at Noon”, while Viswanathan is due to start promoting “The Beanie Bubble”.

Coen said last year about working without his brother Ethan on “Macbeth”: “I spent 40 years looking over at Ethan after each shot or looking at him if there was a problem. And, so, I missed him because that wasn’t there.”

Long-time Coen brothers composer Carter Burwell, 67, has claimed the brothers may never again make another film together.

He said: “They also have a ton of scripts they’ve written together that are sitting on various shelves. I hope maybe they get back to those.

“I’ve read some of those, and they are great. We are all at an age where we just don’t know… we could all retire. It’s a wonderfully unpredictable business.”