Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Coen Brothers Find Their 'True Grit' Mattie Ross

We’ve known for some time that the Coen Bros. are going to be making a new adaptation of "True Grit," which is a novel written by Charles Portis and was made famous by a 1969 John Wayne movie (in which Wayne won his only Oscar).

There’s four main characters in "True Grit," three of which have actors already attached to them: Jeff Bridges is starring as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (the role Wayne originally played), Matt Damon will be playing the roles of La Beouf (the lawman Cogburn teams up with) and Josh Brolin will play Tom Chaney (the killer of a 14-year-old girl’s father). The fourth role is, of course, the young girl.

Deadline Hollywood now reports that after auditioning more than 15,000 teenage girls, Hailee Steinfeld was chosen to play Mattie Ross, the "14-year old spitfire" whose father is killed in cold blood. I haven't seen Hailee Steinfeld in anything before, but I can't wait to see this film because it sounds like a potentially fantastic remake, especially in the hands of the Coens.

Ross’s role is a key one in the original novel; she enlists the help of Cogburn to track down her father's killer. The book is very much filtered through Mattie’s point-of-view, and it sounds like a tough role, but the Coens obviously wouldn’t have chosen someone who wasn’t up to the task. I, for one, trust their judgment – their track record has certainly earned my faith.

Are you excited for a "True Grit" remake made by the Coen Bros.? What do you think of the cast so far?

"True Grit" hits theater December 25, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

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