Coen’s interest in “Macbeth” was first piqued when his wife, Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand, asked him to consider directing her in the play as Lady Macbeth. He ended up not helming that production at Berkeley Rep, which starred McDormand and “Games of Thrones” alum Conleth Hill in 2016. But the seed had been planted for Coen, who began contemplating the story of a murderous couple in cinematic terms.

That plan became clearer after 2018’s “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” the last film on which the Coens shared a directing credit. That’s when, according to Joel in the Times, Ethan said, “I think I’m going to change it out and do some other things for awhile.” Related Beanie Feldstein Announces First Project Post-‘Funny Girl,’ Joins Margaret Qualley in Ethan Coen Film ‘Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind’ Review: Ethan Coen’s Slim Doc Is at the Mercy of Its Wild Subject Related 7 New Netflix Shows in October 2022 – and the Best Reasons to Watch The 13 Best Slasher Movies Ever Made, from ‘Candyman’ to ‘Psycho’
“I knew I’d be directing the next one by myself,” Joel said. “If I was working with Ethan I wouldn’t have done ‘Macbeth,’ it would not be interesting to him.” The resulting film has earned raves from critics for making its central couple (Denzel Washington joins McDormand as Macbeth) older than is usual, as well as for the film’s heightened aesthetics from Coen, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, and production designer Stefan Dechant, which pay tribute to both noir and the genre’s roots in German Expressionism. In his B+ IndieWire review, David Ehrlich wrote, “Coen is no stranger to swing for the fences style, and the hyper-artificiality of his ‘Macbeth’ — from the sight of its fake night sky and chiaroscuro shadows to Carter Burwell’s sawing score and the thick dribbles of water and blood that fall onto the floor tiles like thunderclaps — traps its characters in a diorama of fate’s design. Everything seems possible on this empty stage, yet our ambition is always a glass half-empty; it’s a poisoned chalice that can destroy anyone thirsty enough to forget what they’re drinking, and poor Macbeth was born too soon to know why the Dude continues to abide while Ed Crane wound up in the electric chair.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.