The Coen Brothers are no strangers to time travel. They’ve penned scripts and directed films set in the early 20th Century, in the Old West, in Greenwich Village of the 1960s and in the apparently timeless frozen tundra of the mid-1990s. They’ve updated Biblical narratives for the modern day, and rewritten the Odyssey for South of the Mason Dixon. But they’ve never gone as far back as ancient Roman times, nor did we ever expect them to. Now, however, the Coen Brothers are talking about doing just that.
In a recent Associated Press interview (via The Playlist), the Coen Brothers teasingly mentioned a script they are currently at work on: a “sandal movie” set sometime in the Roman period. They did not say much about it, save that “it’s big” and tries to ask (possibly to answer) some of the bigger questions. Beyond that, the Coens are tight-lipped, as they so often are about their future projects.
Still, it’s an interesting prospect, to say the least. While a sandal film might seem like an odd choice for the brothers, there’s a certain continuity in their projects about bringing old stories and time periods to bear on present day concerns. They’ve covered a number of different historical time periods and genres, but most of their films have been American-based, and they rarely go back past the beginning of the 20th Century. Heading all the way back to ancient Rome would be a big change for the brothers. I can see them doing it, though, in their own bizarre and inimitable way.
Of course, this project is still a long ways away and for right now, we’ll just have to be content with the Coens’ latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which begins its limited released this coming Friday.
What do you think about the Coen Brothers taking on an ancient Roman theme? Let us know in the comments below.
