Coen Brothers to Write and Direct TV Western ‘Ballad of Buster Scruggs’

The prospect of a TV Fargo may not have been enough to lure the Coen brothers to TV, but one of their unexplored projects just might. Reports claim the iconic directing pair will write and helm a new western miniseries, perhaps taking a TV/film hybrid approach for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

Variety broke word that the Coens will partner with Annapurna TV, writing and directing a concept of their own that was “too challenging to be covered in one feature film.” The western’s plot details are unknown, but said to “intertwine six different story lines.”

Megan Ellison and Annapurna Television president Sue Naegle will executive produce alongside the Coens, though it remains unclear exactly how a theatrical element to the miniseries would factor in. The report compares the hybrid TV/movie approach to original plans for The Dark Tower franchise, which have since abated.

It isn’t entirely clear where the series will end up, but who next will TV manage to snare from the movies for a limited series? Stay tuned more on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.