Joel Coen is going solo for the first time with upcoming movie 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' as his brother and collaborator Ethan Coen is 'giving movies a rest.'

• Aug 5, 2021

AceShowbiz - The Coen Brothers split after decades of directing together, because Ethan Coen was no longer interested in making movies.

Joel Coen is going solo for the first time with "The Tragedy of Macbeth", the eagerly anticipated Shakespeare adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand.

In 2019, Ethan told the Los Angeles Times that he was "giving movies a rest" to work on other projects, including theatrical plays. Now, the Coens' longtime composer Carter Burwell has shared his knowledge of the situation with the Score podcast.

"Ethan just didn't want to make movies anymore," Burwell said. "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."

"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."

According to the composer, the situation is "amicable" and Ethan could change his mind and return to filmmaking down the road. As Carter told Collider last year, working without Ethan on the Macbeth film was "strange."

The Coen Bros films include "Fargo", "No Country for Old Men", "Raising Arizona", and "Hail, Caesar!".

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" will open the New York Film Festival on 24 September (21), but does not yet have an official release date.