The Coen Brothers are writing and directing their first TV show ever, a miniseries that currently is not currently attached to a specific network. Joel and Ethan, after decades in Hollywood, have finally found a project that is too big for the big screen and will write the show as well as direct — a similar setup as many of their films. Titled The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the show is reportedly a Western and will be co-produced by the Coen’s production company Mike Zoss Productions and Annapurna Television. Some of the Coen’s best movies have been Westerns (although of course your mileage may vary with True Grit and No Country For Old Men) so the prospect of an 8- or 10-hour project with that Joel and Ethan aesthetic is very enticing.
Although the television aspect of the project will be in a miniseries format, there are reports that a film could also be involved. The Coens once said that they couldn’t care less about the television adaptation of their seminal film Fargo, but that lack of approval apparently doesn’t apply to TV’s format and offerings completely. In what way the project could potentially be split between the miniseries and movies is yet to be seen, but if Buster Scruggs is a project that the brothers feel is the best chance for them to get out of their comfort zone then maybe that means all the way out of their comfort zones.
Annapurna usually has a budget to burn, but somebody should probably make extra sure they know just how expensive the Coen Brothers musical tastes can be. The show will also apparently involve six storylines intersecting, so get ready for the possibility of a big, high profile cast!
(via Variety)