Summary
- Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to “Jack of Spades,” with a theatrical release planned for fall 2027.
- Joel and Ethan Coen are writing together again, although Joel will direct alone.
- The film adapts a 1901 novel and is set in Scotland.
- Bruno Delbonnel is cinematographer and Carter Burwell is composer.
Joel and Ethan Coen are writing together again, as Netflix acquires worldwide rights to “Jack of Spades,” a new film directed by Joel and photographed by cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel.
The deal was announced on November 2, 2026, with a theatrical release planned for fall 2027 ahead of its arrival on the streaming service. No specific release date has been announced.
The Coen brothers reunite as screenwriters
“Jack of Spades” marks the brothers’ first new screenplay collaboration since 2018’s “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” This is not a return to co-directing: Joel Coen directs on his own, while the screenplay is credited to Joel and Ethan Coen, award-winning novelist Eleanor Catton, and playwright Conor McPherson.
For Joel, this is his second solo-directed film after “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (2021). Ethan has meanwhile pursued his own directing projects, including “Drive-Away Dolls” and “Honey Don’t!”. Their reunion is therefore significant for bringing their writing back to the same story, rather than automatically re-establishing their former directing partnership.
A Gothic mystery in the Highlands with a strong cast
The film adapts Frances Frederica Montrésor’s 1901 novel “The Alien: A Story of Middle Age”. Set in the Scottish Highlands, it is described as a dark Gothic mystery involving intrigue and betrayal. Beyond that basic premise, officially disclosed plot details remain limited.
The leading cast features Patsy Ferran, Josh O’Connor, Damian Lewis, and Lesley Manville. Producers include Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, Robert Graf, Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, and Blueprint Pictures’ Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin. Donald MacKinnon is executive producer.
The on-set photograph shows a horse-drawn carriage, horses, and period costumes at an outdoor location in Scotland. It is a production photograph, not an official frame from the finished film.
Bruno Delbonnel: cinematography as storytelling
For cinematographers and filmmakers, one of the most compelling names behind the camera is Bruno Delbonnel. The French cinematographer worked with the Coens on “Inside Llewyn Davis” and with Joel on the black-and-white “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” whose controlled compositions, shadows, and lighting played a central role in the storytelling.
His involvement in a Gothic mystery is an intriguing creative prospect, but it does not establish the new film’s color palette, capture format, or camera system; no such technical details have been announced. Another longtime Coen collaborator, Carter Burwell, is composing the score.
The significance of such partnerships also reflects a broader discussion about the cinematographer’s contribution as a co-creator. That role is explored in an interview with the president of the Greek Society of Cinematographers about directing, lighting and the language of film images.
What we think
What appeals to us about the Coens returning to the same script is that nobody has to pretend the clock has turned back. Ethan is writing with Joel again, but the direction remains Joel’s. It is a creative reunion with different roles, which could bring their familiar narrative precision and dry wit to a new story without simply repeating their earlier formula.
Delbonnel is the name we are especially watching from a cinematography perspective. On “Macbeth,” he showed how much lighting can tell us before an actor says a word. The Scottish setting and Gothic material offer fertile ground for similarly expressive images, although there is no reason to assume he will repeat the same visual approach.
And the plan for a theatrical run before streaming matters for a film where directing and cinematography are such central attractions. We would love to see it on a big screen in Greece, but Netflix has yet to announce the countries or scale of its theatrical rollout.
Frequently asked questions
Are Joel and Ethan Coen co-directing “Jack of Spades”?
No. Joel Coen is the sole director. Ethan Coen shares screenplay credit with Joel, Eleanor Catton and Conor McPherson.
When will “Jack of Spades” be released on Netflix?
A theatrical release is planned first, for fall 2027. Neither an exact cinema date nor the Netflix streaming premiere has been announced.
