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The Coen brothers are creating a Western TV series

Darn tootin' we're excited

The Coen brothers are creating a Western TV series
11 January 2017

Multi award-winning Joel and Ethan Coen are known for the unorthodox and unique films which they write, direct and produce together – their resumes include The Big Lebowskiand O Brother Where Art Thou.

But although their film Fargomade a successful transition to the small screen, the pair were barely involved in it and have yet to make their TV debut.

We won’t need to wait long though. The brothers have confirmed that they are working on an original Western limited miniseries called The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

They follow in the footsteps (though are sure to take their own path) of other A-list directors who have made the TV transition. Martin Scorsese released Vinyllast year (though it was cancelled after one series because it was crap) and Woody Allen put out Crisis in Six Scenes to fairly scathing reviews.

There are higher hopes for David O. Russell who is currently working on a series for Amazon starring Julianne Moore and Robert De Niro, and J.J. Abrams who is writing and directing a limited series with Meryl Streep that is currently in talks.

The Coens wrote the script for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs from an original idea and it is said to intertwine six different story lines.

Jeff Bridges in True Grit

According to Variety, the project started as a film but was too complicated to fit into one movie. But that’s not to say it won’t hit the silver screen, apparently they intend to use an “innovative approach that could combine television and theatrical” but no one is sure how yet.

It’s not the first time the duo have taken on the Western genre, having hit success with True Gritand No Country for Old Men.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is yet to be picked up by a TV network but there will no doubt be a few clambering over each other to get to it.

Just like we’ll be clambering over anyone who gets in our way of the remote when it’s released.