Netflix Acquires Joel Coen's 'Jack of Spades,' Sets Fall 2027 Theatrical Release

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Jack of Spades, the new gothic mystery directed by Joel Coen and starring Josh O'Connor, Patsy Ferran, Damian Lewis and Lesley Manville, and plans to give the film a theatrical release in fall 2027 before it streams on the service, according to reports published Monday, Nov. 2, by Deadline, Variety and other trade outlets.

Netflix describes the film as "a sinister gothic mystery filled with intrigue and betrayal set in the atmospheric Scottish Highlands," TheWrap reported. TheWrap said the streamer plans the fall 2027 theatrical run before the film arrives on Netflix later that year. None of the reports disclosed what Netflix paid for the rights.

Cast, writers and source material

Joel Coen wrote the screenplay with his brother Ethan Coen, novelist and screenwriter Eleanor Catton and playwright and screenwriter Conor McPherson, according to IndieWire. The film is based on Frances Frederica Montrésor's 1901 novel The Alien: A Story of Middle Age. Variety reported that the story is set in 1880s Scotland.

Ferran, whom The Hollywood Reporter identified as a 36-year-old Olivier Award winner, stars alongside O'Connor, Lewis and Manville. The Hollywood Reporter described O'Connor and Lewis as Golden Globe winners and Manville as an Oscar nominee. Deadline noted that Netflix is reteaming with O'Connor after Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man in 2025 and his Emmy-winning turn as Prince Charles in The Crown.

The producers are Robert Graf, Frances McDormand and Joel Coen, along with Steven Rales for Indian Paintbrush and Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin for Blueprint Pictures, with Donald MacKinnon serving as an executive producer, Deadline reported. McDormand, Coen's wife, also produced his 2021 film The Tragedy of Macbeth. Behind the camera, Coen reunites with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, who shot Inside Llewyn Davis, and composer Carter Burwell, who has worked with the Coen brothers since their 1984 feature directorial debut, Blood Simple, according to Deadline.

How the sale came together

Variety reported that the deal caps a sales process it first described in August. In an Aug. 10 report, Variety said the film had wrapped in Glasgow late last year and had screened for several prospective studios. Sources told the outlet at the time that the initial cut ran nearly 150 minutes but showed "immense promise," and that a tighter second version appeared to have "hit the sweet spot." That report added: "An acquisition announcement is expected sooner rather than later."

The Coens are represented by UTA and attorney Pat Murphy, and UTA represented the sale, according to Deadline, Variety and TheWrap. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Netflix sees Jack of Spades as a major awards prospect, and Variety wrote that the theatrical window positions the film as a likely awards-season player for the streamer in 2028.

A return to Netflix for Joel Coen

The acquisition marks Joel Coen's second collaboration with Netflix following The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the 2018 Western anthology he made with Ethan Coen, Variety reported. That film earned three Oscar nominations, including best adapted screenplay. TheWrap noted that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was the last film the brothers made together.

Jack of Spades is Joel Coen's second solo directorial outing after The Tragedy of Macbeth, according to Variety. TheWrap noted that the 2021 film, which starred Denzel Washington and McDormand according to Deadline, was made for A24 and Apple. Ethan Coen, meanwhile, has directed the crime comedies Drive-Away Dolls and Honey Don't! on his own, Deadline reported.

Deadline noted that Joel Coen is a four-time Oscar winner, with three awards for No Country for Old Men, for best picture, adapted screenplay and directing, and one for the original screenplay of Fargo.

Netflix's film leadership in transition

TheWrap reported that the acquisition comes after a leadership overhaul at the streamer. The company said on Oct. 15 that Peter Rice, the former chairman of Walt Disney Television, would become chief content officer effective Oct. 26, replacing Bela Bajaria, who was leaving after nearly 10 years, according to a Netflix announcement. In the announcement, Rice said Netflix has "shown again and again that they're willing to take chances on distinctive voices and fresh ideas."

TheWrap reported on Oct. 19 that film chief Dan Lin was also leaving the company. TheWrap reported that Lin, who took over Netflix Film in April 2024 after Scott Stuber's exit, held a hard line on theatrical releases, and that he told The New York Times in June that Netflix would not work with filmmakers who insist on a theatrical-first release. TheWrap also noted exceptions under Lin, including a full theatrical rollout for Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew and a two-week Imax run for David Fincher's The Adventures of Cliff Booth before its Dec. 23 Netflix debut.

The executive changes came as Netflix laid off 1,000 employees, Variety reported. On the company's third-quarter earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the leadership change, saying, "I know that we could do better, and we want to build on that momentum."

The reports did not give a specific theatrical or streaming date for Jack of Spades beyond the fall 2027 window.