Honey Don't!: What We Know About The New Ethan Coen Movie

ethan coen during a visual storytellers interview
(Image credit: Visual Storytellers)

Are you looking forward to the next Ethan Coen film? Because we sure are – and we know a few things about Honey Don’t! that you should. 

I’m sure everyone reading this guide knows about the Coen brothers and their run of releasing some of the most critically acclaimed films that genuinely shifted the culture around filmmaking. The two directors have released movies like Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, No Country for Old Men, and many more, most of which have won awards and audience satisfaction. 

But, eventually, the Coens started to spread their wings and focuse on solo projects. Ethan Coen, the younger of the two, has begun to release his films, and his upcoming Honey Don’t!, is confirmed. What could this film be about? And who is starring in it? This is what we know so far. 

What Is The Honey Don’t! Release Date?

Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan in Drive-Away Dolls.

(Image credit: Focus Features)

When writing this in February 2024, there is no set release date for Honey Don’t! which isn’t that big of a surprise. 

Deadline announced the film in late January 2024, so it would be pretty shocking if we got a release date. If we’re lucky, maybe it could appear at the very tail end of the 2024 release schedule, but I think the more likely case will be appearing on the 2025 movie schedule. 

That is a bit dangerous, considering that 2025 is already filled with new releases. From the next live-action Disney remake, Snow White, to the highly anticipated The Batman: Part II, to even the reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise in the MCU, the weekends are stacked with big blockbuster films. I only hope that Honey Don’t! can stand out. 

Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, And Chris Evans Will Star

Margaret Qually, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans will star in Honey Don't!

(Image credit: Focus Features/HBO/Marvel)

We only know three cast members so far for Honey Don’t!, and while we don’t know their character names, we all know they will be significant additions and are massive stars. The Deadline article above confirmed all three, so let’s get into it:

Margaret Qualley

Margaret Qualley was the first name confirmed for Honey Don’t!, which isn’t that much of a shocker. Qualley worked with Ethan Coen before, on Drive-Away Dolls, a film released in late February 2024 which was Coen’s solo directorial debut. It’s fun to see them team up again for this new film. 

Qualley has been gaining a lot of recognition for her roles. She first appeared in the 2013 film Palo Alto but continued to show her talent in the HBO series The Leftovers, a show that somehow never won an Emmy for Best Series. 

The actress continued to shine in films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Nice Guys, and more. Still, she grew even more significant when she starred in the hit Netflix series, Maid, and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for her role in Fosse/Verdon.

Aubrey Plaza

Also confirmed for Honey Don’t! is Aubrey Plaza, who, by now, I’m sure the entire world knows about. 

Plaza gained plenty of fame for her role in the Parks and Recreation cast, where she played April Ludgate for several seasons and became a major fan favorite. After that, she only continued to shine in TV shows, where she appeared in Legion and had an Emmy-nominated role in The White Lotus Season 2 cast

Aside from her professional experience in television, Plaza has also appeared in various films, where she starred, co-starred, or guest-starred. These include, but aren’t limited to, Ingrid Goes West, Emily the Criminal, Black Bear, one of the best A24 horror films After Beth, The To Do List, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Happiest Season, Funny People, and many, many others. 

Plaza is also set to appear in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries in 2024, so she has a packed year ahead. 

Chris Evans

The last person that the Deadline article confirmed is Chris Evans, another prominent name in Hollywood who has become a household name over the last decade plus. 

Marvel’s Chris Evans Addresses Possible Return As Captain America

Evans began his career starring in a few teen films before appearing in blockbusters like Fantastic Four, Cellular, and even appearing in the 2010 cult classic, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. However, he became a huge star when he took on the mantle of Captain America in the first film, Captain America: The First Avenger. He would reprise the role in several MCU films until Avengers: Endgame in 2019. 

From there, Evans has appeared in various films like the first Knives Out, The Gray Man on Netflix, and in the Apple TV+ movie Ghosted. He will appear in Red One in 2024 alongside Dwayne Johnson, a new Christmas film, so be prepared to see him rock it in that, too. 

Truly, already, with these three cast members, this movie is going to be awesome. 

The Film Will Be Similar In Comedy Style To Drive-Away Dolls

Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley in Drive-Away Dolls.

(Image credit: Focus Features)

So, we’ll be honest and say the plot details for Honey Don’t! are so limited that we don’t know the character’s names or what they’re getting into. With a name like that, one can only imagine, but the premise is locked down as of February 2024. 

However, we know from that Deadline article that it will have a vibe similar to Drive-Away Dolls, Coen’s solo directorial debut. That has been marketed as a part of a trilogy of “three queer B-Rated movies,” according to an interview that Tricia Cooke (the co-screenwriter of Honey Don’t! and Drive-Away Dolls) did with Collider in June 2023.

What that means for this upcoming film, I’m not sure. Only time will tell. 

Ethan Coen Will Direct

John Turturro in The Big Lebowski, a film that Ethan Coen co-directed with his brother.

(Image credit: Polygram)

As confirmed above, Ethan Coen will be directing Honey Dont! The director made his solo debut with Drive-Away Dolls, and this will be his second film without his brother, Joel. 

Coen’s Wife, Tricia Cooke, Co-Wrote the Script With Him

Geraldine Viswanathan in Drive-Away Dolls, a film Tricia Cooke co-wrote.

(Image credit: Focus Features)

Deadline also reported that Tricia Cooke, Ethan Coen’s wife, co-wrote the script for Honey Don’t!. Cooke has also worked on many of the Coen brothers films before, including Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, and the documentary her husband did, Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind. 

Honey Don’t! Will Most Likely Be Rated R

Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian in Drive-Away Dolls

(Image credit: Focus Features)

While we don’t officially know what the rating of Honey Don’t! will be, we can take a safe guess and assume that it’ll most likely be Rated R from the Deadline report about it being close in tone to Drive-Away Dolls. 

The 2024 film is Rated R for various reasons by the MPA, so it would be surprising if Honey Don’t! wasn’t in the same wheelhouse. 

While Honey Don’t! certainly feels far away, hopefully it won’t be long before we get more updates on this new movie. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what it’s all about. 

Alexandra Ramos
Content Producer

A self-proclaimed nerd and lover of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, Alexandra Ramos is a Content Producer at CinemaBlend. She first started off working in December 2020 as a Freelance Writer after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. She primarily works in features for movies, TV, and sometimes video games. (Please don't debate her on The Last of Us 2, it was amazing!) She is also the main person who runs both our daily newsletter, The CinemaBlend Daily, and our ReelBlend newsletter.