Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan to star in Ethan Coen’s first solo directing effort

Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers fame is leaving the nest for his first solo directing outing. The plot for the untitled film is unknown. Still, word has hit the bullpen that Margaret Qualley (Maid, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, Miracle Workers) will star in the upcoming film. The untitled feature project marks Ethan’s first time directing a movie on his own accord after sharing countless directing credits with his brother, Joel. Coen co-wrote the script for the untitled project with his wife, Tricia Cooke. The couple also produces with Robert Graf and Working Title‘s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

Coen has been meeting with actresses for months to determine who will star in his high-profile project. Coen’s goal was to find two actresses who exhibited undeniable chemistry. After testing a long list of would-be duos, Qualley and Viswanathan’s energy won the coveted prize. The film will shoot this fall.

Margaret Qualley is famous for playing Alex Russell in the Netflix limited series Maid. The part marked her as one of Hollywood’s most promising up-and-comers, and now acting roles are rolling in. Qualley is currently filming The Substance for director Coraline Fargeat. Meanwhile, her other roles for the Zachary Wigon drama Sanctuary and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things are already wrapped.

As for Geraldine Viswanathan, the Australian actress starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi in the comedy series Miracle Workers. She recently appeared as the narrator of the TV series Three Little Debras, and is set to star in The Beanie Bubble drama and Susanna Fogel’s Cat Person. The Cat Person focuses on the brief relationship between a twenty-year-old sophomore college student Margot, and an older man Robert, who is a regular at the movie theater where Margot works.

We’ll keep an eye out for more details about Ethan Coen’s untitled film. In the meantime, let us know if you’re excited about Coen striking out on his own in the comments below.