As 2021 came to an end, A24 found them at a bit of a crossroads. While they had excelled at finding an audience post-pandemic, very little of what they produced became entwined in the awards season. Despite several titles that held prestige and boundary-pushing storytelling, they would need to find a victory in the year to come. This would have been completely true had it not been for the final film on the release calendar. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) on paper seemed like a boring pick (ANOTHER Shakespeare adaptation?). However, the more that one learned about its production, the more it became not only one of A24’s finest films but also reshaped the ways that The Bard’s work could be adapted.
The story begins in 2016 when Frances McDormand decided to do a production of Macbeth in Berkeley, CA. Having played the role of Lady Macbeth before, she found herself engrossed in the role to the point that she couldn’t stop thinking about it following the show’s conclusion. Her husband, director Joel Coen, also found interest in exploring Macbeth further. The catch was that he wanted to create a version that strayed from the more conventional interpretations. He wanted it to feel theatrical and “untethered” from reality while being faithful to the iambic pentameter prose of the source material. He also claimed to want to do it on soundstages in part because he had spent most of the production of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) worried about weather interference.
Another reason that The Tragedy of Macbeth would be a buzzworthy title involved Coen himself. Since the start of his career, he directed films alongside his brother Ethan Coen. Despite being the credited sole director of their films until 2004, Joel and Ethan were a beloved filmmaking duo who would go on to win Best Picture at The Oscars for No Country for Old Men (2007). This Shakespeare adaptation would mark Joel’s first official solo outing. When asked why this was, Joel claimed that Ethan was tired of filmmaking. He also said that there were some unproduced screenplays that his brother could possibly make but knew little about his plans.
Something to consider about The Tragedy of Macbeth is that the central creators had different levels of history with the author’s material. McDormand was the most involved, having played variations of her role since she was 14. Similarly, Denzel Washington would play the titular role for the first time. He had starred in various Shakespeare works over the years including in the film version of Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and stage versions of Coriolanus and Julius Caesar. Together, McDormand and Washington agreed to make the couple older and postmenopausal to emphasize their infertility. It helped them to feel like they were aging out of relevance and thus taking wild swings to maintain power.
Coen, meanwhile, was eager to turn everything into a surreal production. His reference points included old black and white filmmakers like Carl Th. Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman, and Akira Kurosawa with hopes of understanding the impact of close-ups. Similarly, the stage design would have jagged angles and lighting that was disorienting in part because of how ambiguous the time of day was. The entire set was movable with many walls with a few shadows painted on to provide small cases of implausibility. It was also said that, with limited costume work, everything was designed in black and white including sets and costumes.
Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel worked on making everything as minimalist as possible. They wanted the language to be emphasized over the scenery, meaning that a lot of key scenes were done in front of sparse designs that felt more akin to a stage. This was what they called a “haiku” and found them stripping everything back to the point that most scenes were actors standing opposite nothing but shadows. Similarly, scenes that would require festivities such as a banquet were reduced to a single gauntlet to emphasize how frugal the Macbeth characters were.
One of the reasons for this also came when The Tragedy of Macbeth was shot. Despite being two and a half weeks away from completing production, they had to things down due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the mandated lockdowns. Coen used the time to edit existing footage and play with different ideas. When they were allowed to resume four months later, they were forced to practice social distancing where possible. This was because knowledge of Covid-19 was still limited and many believed it could be transmitted through touch.
Among the highlights was the ending where Washington performs a swordfight with Corey Hawkins. While the younger actor was worried about injuring the veteran, the performance went off without a hitch. Washington claimed that with the layers of leather that he was wearing, he sweated so much that he lost weight that day. The final scene featured Hawkins beheading Washington. The prosthetic head was made using a 360-degree scan of the actor’s head and was made with silicone and other materials meant not only to appear lifelike but also weigh equivalent to the real deal.
As was keeping with most of Coen’s previous films, composer Carter Burwell provided a score where a violin symbolized light escaping darkness. While it was sparse and less melodic than other collaborations, it helped to give The Tragedy of Macbeth its eerie tone and create a sinister atmosphere for the more dramatic sequences.
During post-production, the film ran into one controversy. Having produced other A24 films like Lady Bird (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019), Scott Rudin’s involvement seemed practical at first. However, due to allegations of sexual assault, he was forced to remove his involvement in 2021. As of 2025, his last credited work was the Amy Adams drama Woman in the Window (2021). It was also around this time that McDormand would win two Oscars for Nomadland (2021) for Best Actress and Best Picture. This gave the new Coen film even more anticipation as the buzzy follow-up that could land her and Washington prominent nominations.
Following a premiere at New York Film Festival, The Tragedy of Macbeth had a limited theatrical release on Christmas Day. It would go on to be released via AppleTV+ the following month. It would also be the first film A24 released with the streamer since Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks (2020). Early buzz for the film would lead to major awards contention, including a Golden Globe nomination for Washington.
Overall, Coen created an adaptation that really connected with audiences. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned a 93% approval rating, making it one of A24’s most acclaimed films of the year. Brian Susbielles of InSession Film lead the enthusiasm when declaring, “It grabs a hold of you by the collar and keeps you focused through Bruno Delbonnel’s dark cinematography and performances that feel it’s straight from the horse’s mouth of great Shakespearean interpreters like Olivier and Branagh.” Sarah Ward shared the sentiment when suggesting, “Something astonishing this way comes... another masterwork full of sound and fury signifying everything.” The few who disagreed included Nathan Bell of L.A. Weekly who derided, “If Macbeth comes across as self-consciously arty and occasionally juiceless it is because it lacks the initiative to transform, rather than simply render, the material.” Overall it was considered a success, even appearing on end of year lists including David Ehrlich’s Top 25 of 2021.
As mentioned, The Tragedy of Macbeth would become the only A24 film to receive Oscar nominations. Washington would become the first actor nominated for a Shakespeare role since Kenneth Branagh in Henry V (1989). While it wouldn’t win any, it helped to create a conversation around what a Shakespeare adaptation could achieve. Given that this was also the year that Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021) was released (a loose interpretation of Romeo & Juliet), it was a great moment to be The Bard.
As of this publication, Joel Coen hasn’t announced another production. It should be noted that while there’s still room to speculate whether The Coen Brothers will ever work together again, Ethan has developed his own career. His solo directorial debut Drive-Away Dolls (2024) helped to reflect how divided the duo’s minds were at the time. While Joel was involved with classical drama, Ethan was itching to do a raunchy comedy full of sex and drugs. Given that he’s hinted at more films in a similar vein, it’s unlikely that the reunion will be anytime soon.
For what it’s worth, The Tragedy of Macbeth remains an exceptionally unique take on well-worn material. It even has the stamp of A24 oddity with two lead performances that stretch the veterans’ capabilities into a more surreal direction. Most of all, it’s faithful enough adaptation that purists will find something to enjoy in the approach. With 2021 now in the books, the studio was moving onto the next year by reteaming with AppleTV+ and a beloved up and coming indie director adapting a young adult novel that, funnily enough, features pivotal references to William Shakespeare. It may have little in common with the fallen king of Scotland otherwise, but it showed the studio continuing to branch out in clever ways.
Coming Up Next: The Sky Is Everywhere (2022)
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