Joel Coen’s upcoming gothic mystery is finally offering some clues about its story. A new update also reveals which actor appears to have the film’s key role.
Journalist Jordan Ruimy reports that Patsy Ferran plays the lead in Jack of Spades. He also reveals that the film is based on a little-known 1901 novel. Ruimy says he has heard that Ferran is “absolutely dynamite in the lead role.” The actress plays Esther Mordaunt, a woman in her thirties who anchors the story.
The plot follows a mysterious man played by Josh O’Connor who returns from the dead. His arrival becomes tied to inheritance and property, while his connection with Esther brings duty, desire, and the past into the story.
The man may be a ghost, and another woman identifies him as her son and heir. She believes he died three decades earlier, though Ruimy has not confirmed whether McDormand or Manville plays that character.
Jack of Spades will be Joel Coen’s second movie as a solo director
Jack of Spades is based on Frances Frederica Montrésor’s 1901 novel The Alien: A Story of Middle Age. The movie is set in 1880s Scotland and has been described as a gothic mystery.
The cast includes Josh O’Connor, Frances McDormand, Damian Lewis, and Lesley Manville. Bruno Delbonnel serves as cinematographer, while Coen regular Carter Burwell is composing the score. Coen wrote the screenplay from an original draft by Eleanor Catton. Blueprint Pictures and Indian Paintbrush are producing the movie.
Production wrapped in Glasgow around November 2025. Ruimy said, citing Variety, that the first cut ran close to 150 minutes before a shorter version was screened for studios.
The film reportedly moved toward a 2027 release after earlier expectations pointed to 2026. Focus Features has been linked to the project, although its involvement has not been officially confirmed.
Jack of Spades follows The Tragedy of Macbeth, making it Joel Coen’s second solo feature. The 2021 Shakespeare adaptation marked his first feature without Ethan Coen as co-director.
