Earlier today, we reported on the incredibly stacked lineup at this year’s Venice Film Festival. To say that there’s awards season buzz at this year’s event is an understatement. However, even though we knew that there were some sure-thing Oscar contenders, one of those contenders was a film we didn’t even know existed but has suddenly become part of the conversation.
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” began its life as a Netflix Original Series, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. However, along the way, something happened and when Venice announced its lineup, the series was announced as a feature film. ‘Buster Scruggs’ was intended to be an anthology series following six tales that all related somehow to the titular character, played by Tim Blake Nelson. Now, the series has morphed into a feature-length film that will still retain the anthology aspect of the storytelling structure, with each tale being a separate chapter.
“We’ve always loved anthology movies, especially those films made in Italy in the Sixties which set side-by-side the work of different directors on a common theme,” the Coens said in a statement (via Variety). “Having written an anthology of Western stories we attempted to do the same, hoping to enlist the best directors working today. It was our great fortune that they both agreed to participate.”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” stars Nelson, alongside Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson, and Tom Waits. However, their characters and stories are still a mystery. The film will be released on Netflix later this year, however, the streaming service thinks they have an Oscar contender on its hands and is doing the requisite small theater run for consideration.
While we don’t know exactly why the series was turned into a film, or how it stacks up against the amazing competition at Venice, we do know that there’s a new Coen Brothers film on the horizon and that’s great news.