Coen Brothers Move Forward With Film About New York's '60s Folk Scene

Dave Van Ronk was a pivotal figure in the early folk explosion of the '60s in New York's Greenwich Village, and his rise to fame is precisely the kind of stuff the Coen Brothers want to write about.

Rolling Stone reports that Joel and Ethan Coen's newest project, 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' will be loosely based on the life of Van Ronk. Hey, maybe a young Bobby Dylan will be making a cameo? The drama will follow Llewyn throughout the early 1960s as a struggling musician in New York City at the height of the protest movement.

Scott Rudin ('True Grit' and 'No Country for Old Men') has signed on to produce the project. No release date has been set.

As detailed in Martin Scorsese's excellent Dylan documentary 'No Direction Home,' Van Ronk never achieved the fame and stature of his folk friends Joan Baez and Dylan, but he did make a significant mark on the latter's career. We're sure the film will have a fabulous insight on the weird world of coffee shop beatniks -- and hopefully a bit of humor as well.

Listen to Dave Van Ronk's 'Cocaine'