Why Don't the Coen Brothers Direct Together Anymore? Ethan Coen Finally Opens Up
He explains the break, sharing insights on their separate projects.
Honestly, it makes me a bit sad that the Coen brothers — Ethan Coen and Joel Coen — aren’t directing films together anymore. They’ve created some of my all-time favorite movies, like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, No Country for Old Men, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? — films that feel truly legendary.
Watching Ethan Coen and Joel Coen collaborate on these iconic movies was always special, and I can’t help but miss that unique creative spark they share.
Ethan Coen Explains the Break
Speaking with Collider, Ethan Coen, alongside his wife and Honey Don’t! co-writer Tricia Cooke, explained why he and Joel Coen stopped directing together.
After The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Ethan needed a break from directing due to exhaustion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to directing with the documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind and revisited old scripts, including Drive Away Dolls. As Ethan said:
"Neither of us knew what the other would be doing. After the last movie we made together, I was like, 'I can’t do another one. This is too hard.'
Joel went on to do Macbeth. Then COVID happened, and I got interested again in some scripts, but Joel was working on his thing, so we got out of sync. There was never a decision for us to do movies separately."
Why I Hope the Coen Brothers Collaborate Again
From my perspective, the collaborations between Ethan Coen and Joel Coen have produced cinematic gold. Movies like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and No Country for Old Men show the brilliance of the Coen brothers working together, blending unique storytelling, dark humor, and unforgettable characters.
Even though timing and projects pulled them in different directions, I really hope the Coen brothers will create something together again someday. Fingers crossed — because Ethan and Joel Coen are truly remarkable when they team up.
