One of the most anticipated films of 2010 may also bring new life to a classic work of fiction. True Grit, the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, stars Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. It is set to open December 22nd. The Coen brothers are on record as saying that their Character Approved project is not a remake of the 1969 John Wayne film, but that they are basing their movie on the 1968 novel of the same name that was written by Charles Portis.

Speaking about the earlier film, Ethan Coen told Comingsoon.net: "It made very little impression on me, the movie. We subsequently both read the book and the book made a huge impression and I guess that's kind of why we're interested in doing the movie."

"It's not a great movie but it is a great book actually," Joel Coen added.

Portis' book tells the the tale of Mattie Ross, a 14 year-old girl in 1880 Arkansas who leaves home to avenge her father's murder at the hands of farmhand Tom Chaney. Along the way, Mattie convinces mean, one-eyed U.S.Marshal Rooster Cogburn to assist her, and the two form an uneasy partnership as they track down the outlaw gang that Chaney has joined.

The trailer (embedded below) for the reimagined True Grit has recently hit theaters. It will remind many of No Country for Old Men, which the Coen brothers wrote and directed in 2007. The film was a faithful adaptation of the original Cormac McCarthy novel, and the hit western spurred sales of McCarthy's book. I'm willing to bet that True Grit brings the Portis novel to top of the bestseller lists as well.

[image: filmschoolrejects.com]