Coen Brothers’ Western Anthology ‘Buster Scruggs’ is Coming to Netflix

The Coen brothers‘ secretive new project “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” has landed at Netflix in a major win for the streaming giant. The Western anthology was first announced at the beginning of 2017, with Annapurna Pictures producing through their new television banner and planning a “hybrid TV/theatrical” release. While it’s unclear how the film will be released in theaters, Netflix has confirmed all six parts of the anthology will premiere sometime in 2018.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” tells six distinct stories set on the American frontier. Tim Blake Nelson will reunite with the directors as the singing cowboy Buster Scruggs for one of the installments. No other cast members have been confirmed by Netflix, but it has been widely reported that James Franco, Zoe Kazan, and Ralph Ineson are also set to appear. The Coen brothers will be writing and directing all six parts.

“We are streaming motherfuckers!,” said Joel Coen and Ethan Coen in an official statement.

“The Coens are visionary directors, masterful storytellers, and colorful linguists,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix’s Vice President of Original Content. “We are thrilled for Netflix to become home to the full range of their talents.”

The anthology is currently in production in New Mexico. Annapurna has not released any theatrical plans yet. The acquisition is a huge win for Netflix, who has seen a majority of auteur filmmakers head to Amazon to develop their new films and television series. The anthology will hit Netflix in 2018.