Exploring five promising cancelled projects by the Coen brothers
The Coen brothers have undoubtedly been the most beloved filmmaking duo in recent memory. Known for creating endless classics such as Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men, the Coens remain a dominant presence in the cultural discourse even though it looks like they have gone their separate ways.
Last year, fans were surprised when Joel Coen released his first solo directorial effort – The Tragedy of Macbeth. However, according to the latest reports, it seems as if the brothers are serious about focusing on individual projects since Ethan Coen is currently working on a lesbian road trip comedy film.
While the brothers have been ambiguous about returning to the world of cinema as a team again, it’s interesting to note that they still have an extensive backlog of unrealised projects. We have compiled a selection of five of the most promising projects by the Coen brothers, which were unfortunately cancelled.
Check out the full list below.
Five cancelled projects by the Coen brothers:
Dark Web
An exploration of the infamous underbelly of the internet, Dark Web was supposed to be a modern crime film about the online marketplace known as Silk Road. At one point, Silk Road was one of the most notorious dark web sites which sold products ranging from drugs to child pornography.
As you can imagine, such a sinister subject would have been perfectly handled by the Coen brothers. Although the project has been in development since 2013, no details indicate that this will see the light of day.
Harve Karbo
The Coen brothers have many film projects which remain unrealised, but Harve Karbo is special because this was a television series that they wanted to make. If that is enough to sell you on it, the premise is going to intrigue you even more.
According to the reports that surfaced, the TV show was supposed to revolve around a private detective in Los Angeles who works for a production company. While most details were never revealed, a noir series by the Coens set in 1980s L.A. sounds amazing.
Old Fink
This one will definitely be more familiar to most readers since the project was essentially a sequel to their 1991 masterpiece Barton Fink which starred John Turturro as a neurotic writer who tried to make it in Hollywood but ended up befriending a Nazi.
Old Fink would continue the titular character’s story 20 years after the original film’s events. Although the Coens insisted that they were waiting for Turturro to be older, it has been 20 years since the first film, and nothing has come of it yet.
To the White Sea
The Coen brothers have only done adaptations a handful of times but making a film based on James Dickey’s novel definitely seemed like a promising venture. The book tells the story of an American soldier who parachutes into Tokyo at the end of the Second World War.
Due to budget restrictions, the brothers had to scrap the idea. Ethan Coen explained: “I don’t think anything will happen with it. I mean, we came just short of being able to get money for it and did come up short even with Brad Pitt basically doing it for free.”
62 Skidoo
Many fantastic comedies have been made on the subject of the World War, including Stanley Kubrick’s seminal masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. At one point, it looked like the Coen brothers were ready to throw their own Cold War comedy into the mix.
The Coen brothers have been famously tightlipped about this project, only hinting at the existence of the screenplay. From what fans have pieced together, the only thing that can be deduced is that the film is probably going to be set in 1962.
