Joel and Ethan Coen may have officially found their next project. The long-gestating Hail Caesar may finally be coming to light, although the plot sounds very different from what what was previously heard.
A new report by Deadline confirms that the project is being put together now and will be their follow-up to the acclaimed Inside Llewyn Davis. While that was set in the 1960s folk music scene, Hail Caesar will be an inside look at 1950s Golden Age Hollywood and how those studio executives kept their stars appearing clean to the public.
Eddie Mannix is main character, who Deadline describes as similar to Fred Otash, a private eye who used wiretaps and other means to investigate the stars of Hollywood. The name Eddie Mannix should also sound familiar to those who know anything about Hollywood lore, since he was the MGM VP/general manager that the wife of actor George Reeves was sleeping with. (Reeves later committed suicide.)
Back in December, the Coens told Thompson on Hollywood that Hail Caesar would likely be their next project. At that point, the plot still centered on Hollywood, but was set in the 1920s, with George Clooney as a movie star hoping to make a film about Rome.
The Coens are still best known for Fargo, which won them the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. They later won Best Adapted screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director for No Country For Old Men.