Those Coens: They never sit still long enough to let you accuse them of establishing a trend. They're already following their super-dark and reserved No Country for Old Men with the star-studded, seemingly silly comedy Burn After Reading, and now they're veering off again with their next project A Serious Man. Instead of testing new waters with an adaptation, they're once again writing an original black comedy; and instead of bringing in their celebrity pals, they've cast a pair of unknowns to anchor their movie.
Variety reports that Richard Kind and Michael Stuhlberg will play a pair of brothers in A Serious Man, which will begin filming in Minneapolis next month. Stuhlberg will play Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor whose wife leaves and is replaced by his doofus brother who won't leave the house. Oh, and it's set in 1967, which means maybe it'll turn out like some parallell universe episode of Mad Men.
Really, this entire article could have read: Yay, another Coen Bros. movie! Those two work like clockwork, bringing us another view into their crazy heads whether we're ready for it or not. Given that they're seemingly on a roll right now-- and yes, I say that solely based on Burn After Reading's trailer-- there's every reason to look forward to this one. And good for them for sharing their magic touch with two relatively small-time actors, even though Frances McDormand will inevitably join them as the departing wife. Nobody paid much attention to Josh Brolin before he showed up as Llewellyn Moss; maybe the same career magic can happen for Richard Kind and Michael Stuhlberg too.
