In 1986, following their directorial debut, Blood Simple, now-iconic American filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen wrote a script titled Suburbicon. More than 30 years later, the wheels are finally spinning, and on Thursday Paramount Pictures released the first trailer for the black comedy.
Matt Damon (The Martian) will star as Gardner Lodge, a man whose wife is murdered by mob associates in 1959 Suburbicon, a white-bread Stepford community largely untouched by crime. When they go after his young son (Noah Jupe), Gardner decides to fight back, making some powerful enemies in the process.
George Clooney, who has a long history working with the Coens (O Brother, Where Art Thou; Burn After Reading) is in the director’s seat for Suburbicon, though there are no indications that he’ll appear on screen. The brothers are known for developing long-term relationships and casting actors with whom they’re familiar, and Suburbicon is no different, with Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski) attached as Gardner’s son’s Auntie Margaret and Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, True Grit) cast in an unannounced role (Brolin doesn’t appear in the trailer).
DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels’ Nobody Speak provides a vivid backdrop for the trailer, with Killer Mike bellowing “burning, looting, and pillaging” as peace begins to unravel in the seemingly sedate suburb. Damon spends nearly the entire 2:29 spattered with blood, as we see him attack (and probably kill) two gangsters himself. The violence is offset with some extremely Coen-ish comedy, as Gardner deals with stress at his desk by double-fisting those hand-strengthener tools.
Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina) appears opposite Damon in one tense scene, demanding payment and sneering when Lodge threatens to kill him. Barring some sort of twist, it looks pretty clear that Isaac is a bad guy here, most likely associated with (or potentially even in charge of) the mob.
The Coen brothers have spent time working on the script for 2018’s Scarface reboot, and they’re also reportedly involved with a project about Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
Suburbicon has been selected to screen in the main competition section of this year’s Venice International Film Festival between late August and early September. It will also be screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place in mid-September. The film will open in theaters on October 27.
