Joel and Ethan Coen's Netflix six-part series The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, adapted into feature film

Oscar-winning director duo Joel and Ethan Coen will be kicking off the Oscar season in 2018 fall with a new film which initially began as an anthology series, reports Variety. In 2017, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs had been announced as a Netflix original series that was to feature six stories about the American frontier. This has since been adapted into a feature film. However, one chapter still remains in the anthology structure. [caption id=“attachment_4819191” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Coen Brothers. Image from Facebook[/caption] The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is slated to premiere at the Venice Film Festival before releasing in 2018. The Venice Film Festival has in the recent past been considered the starting point of annual awards. “We’ve always loved anthology movies, especially those films made in Italy in the Sixties which set side-by-side the work of different directors on a common theme,” the Coens said in a statement. “Having written an anthology of Western stories we attempted to do the same, hoping to enlist the best directors working today. It was our great fortune that they both agreed to participate.” Tim Blake Nelson plays the eponymous Scruggs. The cast includes actors like Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson and Tom Waits but little is known about the separate stories. “The film is expected to hit Netflix’s streaming service by year’s end along with the requisite theatrical release to qualify for Oscar consideration.” says the report .  The Coens used their usual artisan department heads on the picture, which include production designer Jess Gonchor, costume designer Mary Zophres and composer Carter Burwell, all former Academy Award nominees. The 75th annual Venice Film Festival will be held from 29 August to 8 September, 2018.