– Acquisition Pending –
Academy Award winner Joel Coen’s Jack of Spades wrapped production in Glasgow around November 2025. Focus Features, who were circling the project, have not confirmed their involvement, and the film failed to show up at Cannes.
Meanwhile, the film has screened for several prospective studios. The first cut was apparently close to 150 minutes, and sources say the film showed “immense promise.” A tighter second cut has screened in recent weeks and, from what outlets are reporting, seems to have been met with an even better reception.
An acquisition announcement is expected sooner rather than later. Rumor has it the film is set for a 2027 release.
The gothic mystery, set in 1880s Scotland, marks Coen’s second solo directorial outing and stars Josh O’Connor, Frances McDormand, Patsy Ferran, Lesley Manville and Damian Lewis, with regular collaborators Bruno Delbonnel behind the camera and Carter Burwell on the score.
September 9, 2026 Update: World of Reel can confirm the film is based on Frances Frederica Montersor’s 1901 novel “The Alien: A Story of Middle Age.”
The central character is Esther Mordaunt, played by Ferran, a woman in her thirties. The story revolves around a man who returns from the dead (O’Connor) and becomes involved in a scheme concerning inheritance and property. He and Esther become companions navigating duty, desire, and the pull of the past. Meanwhile, the mysterious man, possibly a ghost, is claimed by a woman – McDormand or Manville – as the son and heir who died thirty years before.
In the meantime, check out first look photos below.
Primary Source: World of Reel
Secondary Source: Variety