The first trailer for Honey Don’t! has arrived, offering a stylish and chaotic glimpse into Ethan Coen’s latest solo directorial effort. Slated for release on August 22 through Focus Features, Honey Don’t! reunites Coen with his Drive-Away Dolls co-writer and spouse Tricia Cooke, and once again stars Margaret Qualley (Sanctuary, The Substance) in the lead role. The film will make its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
In Honey Don’t!, Qualley stars as Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator whose latest case plunges her into the world of suspicious deaths and a mysterious church at the center of the chaos. The trailer teases a gonzo noir tone laced with dark comedy and cultish intrigue, as Qualley’s Honey uncovers the secrets of a fringe religious group led by a charismatic and unsettling figure played by Chris Evans. The supporting cast features Aubrey Plaza (Megalopolis, Emily the Criminal), Charlie Day, and Billy Eichner.
Honey Don’t! follows closely on the heels of Coen and Cooke’s 2024 road trip comedy Drive-Away Dolls, which similarly blended pulp storytelling with queer irreverence and a freewheeling spirit. While that film marked Ethan Coen’s first solo narrative feature apart from his brother Joel Coen, Honey Don’t! looks to further cement his voice as one half of the legendary Coen Brothers duo that directed classics like Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis.
The Coen brothers’ diverging paths since Joel’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) have shown how different their sensibilities can be on their own. While Joel’s Macbeth was moody and stripped-down, Ethan’s solo work is emerging as looser, funnier, and more playful.
Watch the trailer for Honey Don’t! below.