Coen Brothers Refused This Spinoff: 'Don't See It Happening'
The acclaimed filmmaking duo wanted nothing to do with a particular project in their universe, reluctantly allowing it to proceed while keeping their distance from the controversial spinoff.
When the Coen Brothers decide against making a film, that's typically the end of the discussion. The acclaimed sibling duo has built enough industry clout to pick and choose their projects without bowing to studio pressure or outside demands. Yet one particular movie they actively opposed still managed to get made, despite their clear lack of enthusiasm and minimal involvement beyond a grudging approval they seemed to grant just to end years of persistent requests.
A Decade-Long Campaign
Before Joel and Ethan Coen went their separate creative ways, both brothers were united in their reluctance to revisit past work. While they occasionally discussed potential sequels to Barton Fink and fielded constant questions about a Big Lebowski follow-up (especially since Jeff Bridges supported the idea), none of these projects materialized. However, one spinoff did emerge from their cinematic universe.
John Turturro's Jesus Quintana stood out among The Big Lebowski's colorful supporting cast, but the character seemed designed for brief appearances rather than extended screen time. Turturro saw things differently. Starting in the early 2000s, the actor persistently campaigned to create a standalone feature centered on Jesus, but he needed the Coens' permission first.
Reluctant Permission
What followed was essentially a war of attrition spanning more than ten years, with Turturro as the sole advocate for expanding the Lebowski universe. The actor openly stated his intentions: 'If I can get the permission I need, I'd like to return to that role.' His constant pitching apparently wore thin on the filmmakers, as Ethan Coen explained: 'John Turturro, who wants it, talks to us incessantly about doing a sequel about his character, Jesus. He even has the story worked out, which he's pitched to us a few times, but I can't really remember it. No, I don't see it in our future.'
The Jesus Rolls Disaster
The brothers' prediction proved accurate as they completely distanced themselves from The Jesus Rolls. Turturro received permission to proceed, and the Coens got standard screenplay credits for creating the original Lebowski characters, but their involvement ended there. The experiment in making a Coen Brothers-style film without the actual Coen Brothers failed spectacularly.
Despite its modest $4.5 million budget, The Jesus Rolls bombed catastrophically, earning less than $65,000 in theatrical release. Critics savaged the film, questioning why anyone thought the bowling-obsessed character deserved his own movie. The universal response seemed to be: what was the point?
Fortunately, since the Coens had virtually nothing to do with the project beyond their disinterested authorization, the failure didn't tarnish either their reputation or The Big Lebowski's legacy.