Coen Brothers Screen Nearly Finished ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’; Will It Land at Cannes?

Considering production kicked off early this year, we held the faint hope that we may see the next film from the Coen brothers by the end of 2012, but it looks like it will indeed be a three-year gap until their True Grit follow-up, the folk musician tale Inside Llewyn Davis, lands in theaters. Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund and John Goodman, the film was recently handed an R-rating for language, including some sexual references, and now we’ve got some brief word out of an early friends-and-family screening.

According to Roger Friedman, the film, which takes place in 1960s Greenwich Village, is nearly finished and follows Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake as a couple, with our main character, a Dave von Ronk stand-in (played by Oscar Isaac), becoming “romantically linked” to Mulligan’s character. One source indicates that Timberlake’s “old-fashioned folkie” is “very clean cut” and “square,” while Goodman is not to far off his recent Flight character, playing a druggie. On the Road‘s Hedlund, seen above on set, plays his “valet.”

As for actual impressions, Friedman’s sources indicate it was mostly raves (something that, of course, should be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to this type of screening), but most interesting was lack of comparisons to other films from Joel and Ethan Coen. Viewers said there is “no violence, no sex” and “no weird irony,” but that it made one audience member cry. We also picked up one tweet saying, “It was so great I wish I could see it again for the first time.”

The major question lies in when the Coens will actually debut their finished project. While it’s been hinted for quite some time, Friedman indicates a Cannes 2013 debut could be in the cards. Considering the film is still without distribution, it could certainly find acquisition there ahead of a prime awards release later next year. Regardless, it looks like the wait before this latest Coens film hits theaters will be worth it, and check back for updates as they come in.

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