Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan are attached to star in director Ethan Coen’s first solo film, which has yet to be titled, according to an exclusive from Deadline. Filming for the upcoming project is expected to begin some time this fall. The roles that Qualley and Viswanathan will be playing have not been revealed, as specific plot details for the film currently remain under wraps. Further details of the upcoming film are expected to be revealed as production begins to gear up. Coen pens the script for the film alongside his wife Tricia Cooke who previously collaborated with the director on projects such as O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The upcoming project marks the first solo debut from Coen after previously co-directing films with his brother Joel Coen. Together, the pair would co-write and co-direct several critically acclaimed films such as No Country for Old Men, True Grit, and Inside Llewyn Davis, while Joel had a previous history of directing several films that were penned by Ethan such as Barton Fink and Fargo. However, the two filmmakers eventually split, with Joel directing and writing The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2021 without any involvement from his brotherm which achieved critical acclaim. With Ethan's new solo feature film on the way, it will be interesting to see how different it will be compared to the previous work of the duo's filmography.
Qualley recently received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role as Alex in the Netflix limited series Maid. She also recently appeared in Stars at Noon, directed by Claire Denis. Other upcoming projects that she is expected to star in include Sanctuary, which is expected to premiere at this year's Toronto Film Festival, and Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
Viswanathan previously starred in the comedy film Blockers alongside John Cena which was well received. She also lent her voice to Rumble, an animated film that debuted on Paramount+ last year. She is expected to appear in The Beanie Bubble alongside Elizabeth Banks and Zach Galifianakis which will focus on the Beanie Baby craze of the '90s. She will also appear in Cat Person, an upcoming psychological thriller film directed by Susanna Fogel. With both talents expected to co-star in Coen's mysterious new project, the upcoming film could be an exciting film for fans of the acclaimed filmmaker to look out for when it releases in the near future.
With the film still in its early stages of production, no release date for the untitled project has been set yet. Check out our interview with Qualley on Maid and working alongside her mother below: