Posted on 03/24/2009 8:48:48 AM PDT by Reaganesque
As their next film, Joel and Ethan Coen will put their spin on "True Grit," the iconic Western that won an Oscar.
Not a traditional remake, the Paramount film will be more faithful to the Charles Portis book than the 1969 pic, also distributed by Par.
Portis' novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father's killer in hostile Indian territory.
But while the original film was a showcase for Wayne, the Coens' version will tell the tale from the girl's p.o.v.
Pic will be their first period Oater.
Project reteams the brothers with Scott Rudin, their partner on the Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men." The Coens wrote the screenplay.
The original starred as the teen, Wayne and as the lawmen, Jeff Corey as the killer and featured and Dennis Hopper as fellow outlaws.
"True Grit" originated at DreamWorks when that company was Par-based, but it was one of the projects that Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg left behind since the original is part of the Paramount film library. Former DreamWorks prexy , now a Par exec, is steering the project for the studio.
The Western steps in front of another novel adaptation the Coens have with Rudin: "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," based on the Michael Chabon novel and set up at Columbia.
The Coens just completed "A Serious Man," which they scripted, for Focus Features and Working Title.
They are repped by UTA.
How about Sam Elliott?
Sick of remakes.
What could go wrong?
That sentence makes no sense whatsoever.
I love Sam Ellito but, he’s no John Wayne. I heard some talk of Tommy Lee Jones who could do a decent job but there’s the same problem with him. He’s not John Wayne.
Or Tom Selleck. Think about how good “Quigley Down Under” was.
True Grit is one of my least favorite Wayne movies, don’t know why just something about that movie bores me to tears. So I’m OK with the Coen’s going for it.
FIll your hands.....
I hear what you’re saying, but since the estimable Mr. Wayne is no longer available, I don’t see a solution.
With the Coen bros, this should not be a “remake”
I hate to see anybody walk on the bone of the Duke but I’m interested to see what they come up with.
I was just about to say that!
The original starred Kim Darby as the teen, Wayne and as the lawmen, Jeff Corey as the killer and featured Glen Cambell as a Texas Ranger, and Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper as fellow outlaws.
Can you imagine, Sean Penn playing the John Wayne Part? Or maybe Brad Pitt?
What if they pick Sean Penn to play Wayne's part?
This conceivably could be another great vehicle for continuing Micky Rourke’s comeback...
The obvious choice for the new model Rooster Cogburn would be Keanu Reeves.
The Rooster Cogburn role was clearly made for Michael Moore.
The rest of the screenplay just writes itself.
Well you know the teen will be played by Dakota Fanning. She’s in everything these days.
I wonder if they’ll move the Rockies to the area just west of Ft. Smith again.
I have been all through eastern Oklahoma, never saw hills that big.
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