The Coen Brothers to Tackle True Grit Remake
It seems that in this day and age, even original filmmakers like the Coen Brothers are not immune to the remake bug. It has been confirmed that their next project (after A Serious Man, which is currently in post-production) will be a remake of Henry Hathaway’s 1969 western True Grit. The original starred John Wayne as a hard-drinking, eye-patch wearing U.S. marshal who is hired to accompany a Texas Ranger into Indian territory to help a young girl track down her father’s killer.
Truth be told, this isn’t the first time the Coens have tried their hand at a remake; The Ladykillers was also a remake of a 1955 film by Alexander Mackendrick starring Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers. This will be their first period western however, even though some of their previous flicks had western elements. James Mangold’s remake of 3:10 to Yuma seems to have revitalized the western genre somewhat, with remakes of other classic westerns like High Noon also in development. According to Variety, the Coen Brothers will tell the story from the girl’s point of view this time. Any fans of the original out there? Are you excited to see the Coens direct this?
Comments (53)
I’m a huge fan of the Charles Portis novel. The main difference between the original movie and the novel is that the movie follows Rooster (Wayne) as the main character where in the book the girl is the main character. Sounds like they are sticking with the novel’s way so I am excited for sure. It’s ripe for some Coen-esque moments for sure.
Posted by ProjectGenesis on March 23rd, 2009Mmmmmm… gritty!
Posted by Shut-Up Ed on March 23rd, 2009I like the original, but it isn’t such a classic that someone like the Coen’s couldn’t bring something worthwhile to the mix, and maybe even end up with a better film.
Posted by David Munn on March 24th, 2009I love the idea of the Coenheads doing a straight up Western (straight up because No Country for Old Men wasn’t period) with their love of language and their ability to shoot tension, yes!
Posted by rus in chicago on March 24th, 2009I read the book. Very interesting, unique writing style. Portis wrote it with John Wayne in mind as Rooster Cogburn. Sure, the Coen’s might do a good job, but without John Wayne they are trying to make True Grits without corn.
Posted by TheeOden on March 25th, 2009Interesting choice for a remake, since the original is essentially a star vehicle. A change of perspective will be a good idea for a more revisionist tone, which is hopefully what they have in mind. The last thing anyone needs is another ladykillers.
Posted by LehyNeghy on April 2nd, 2009I AM APPALLED!!!!! CAN’T THOSE JACKASSES THINK OF AN ORIGINAL IDEA. THERE IS ONE JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD AND THAT IS NEVER REMAKE A JOHN WAYNE MOVIE. HIS MOVIES STAND ALONE AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO BE MADE INTO A STUPID ASS REMAKE!!! THE COEN BROTHERS SHOULD BE SHOT AND SENT BACK TO HELL. I WILL BOYCOTT THIS REMAKE AND MAYBE EVERY MOVIE THEY EVER MAKE IN THE FUTURE!!!
Posted by Jeremiah Tubbs on April 2nd, 2009LEAVE THE DUKE ALONE!!!!
It would be fantastic if Mickey Rourke would do this role. im desperate to see him in something other then lightweight stuff. Hes the only actor that has the gifts to respect the original and do justice physically and acting wise to the character. John Wayne had a physicality and maturity before anything else and Rourke has got that. All these roles seem a waste of time that hes lining up. The guy isnt getting any younger. Cohen Brothers grab Mickey!
Posted by Daisy M on April 14th, 2009Mickey Rourke – that’s a really good idea.
Posted by rus in chicago on April 14th, 2009Tubbs, calm down. With that attitude there would be no great remakes of great films by GREAT CURRENT DIRECTORS such as Scarface, The Thing, Cape Fear, etc. and so on.
Posted by rus in chicago on April 14th, 2009i am very excited to see how this turns out… i love westerns, mostly clint eastwoods stuff and and handfull of john waynes. true grit being in my top 10 of classic westerns… now i wanna read the book to see how the cohen bros might take it on.. i hope tommy lee jones plays rooster cogburn
Posted by dustin on July 4th, 2009it is a bit “wrong” to remake a john wayne movie, but i like the cohen bros. style and creative insight.. i read that some one thought of mickey rourke playin rooster that would be great as well
Posted by dustin on July 4th, 2009It would be awesome if they got Robert Duvall to play Rooster. Or even Tommy Lee Jones. But dear God, don’t let it be George Clooney.
Posted by Larry on July 10th, 2009Mickey Rourke would be perfect 4 it. Hes one of the few actors who can match up to John Wayne
Posted by ashley on July 13th, 2009Mickey Rourke? Give me a break. Alan Autry would do nicely if they remake this iconic classic, but please NOT mickey Rourke. He was ok in the Wrestler but him as Rooster…get real please
Posted by Ammitt on September 11th, 2009I am extremely perturbed by this news. I may have to take steps to sabotage it.
Posted by Lige on September 13th, 2009It should be Jeff Bridges
Posted by Chris on October 8th, 2009NO. Why do Hollywood pukes have to ruin everything?
Posted by Robert on October 26th, 2009It can’t be done! John Wayne made that movie what it is. I seen the original and have a copy of it on DVD. (yeah, I’m that old). Had anyone but Wayne played the role it would not been near the success it was. He and Duvall can not be substituted. It’s what it is, not unlike Gone With the Wind. On another note,,, is there that poor a crop of original writers that they have to go steal others ideas? A remake just screams that someone has no ability to create and must resort to somebody elses work. A remake is legalized plagiarism!
Posted by out dated on October 29th, 2009Its not a remake! its the real version as told by the author.To say the only reason a movie was good was cause the duke…thats fucking foolish. the story is amazing and will be even more amazing without slow speaking wayne. Its time for all those 40 to 60 year old wanna-be cowboys to let go of the childhood dream of the “one good actor” no disrespect to john wayne. If anyone is stealing ideas its the original. Its a book! who cares dont be so god damn sentimental. go watch a film buy amazing film makers. Be fortunate Michael Bay didnt make this film.
Posted by Nic on November 2nd, 2009You can’t improve on perfection, anyway this is kind of disrespectful to John Wayne due to the fact that True Grit was his oscar performance. Also, Rooster Cogburn is John Wayne, not the other way around. There is no one who could be this character better. To the Coen Brothers, “Fill your hands you son of a bitch”
Posted by LongLiveDuke on November 3rd, 2009All time greatest actors = Robert Duvall and John Wayne,
long live cowboys.
Posted by LongLiveDuke on November 3rd, 2009To longliveduke…I absolutely agree. I grew up watching John Wayne. Watch the movie…he IS Rooster. They are one and the same…One of my all time favorites.. I just hope they do it justice and don’t butcher such a wonderful character…a character who regardless of how silly it is is irrevocably tied to this magnificent actor….I hope they show respect..
Posted by krisnic24 on November 4th, 2009and I’m not a 40-60 year old wanna be cowboy. I’m a 28 year old daughter of the real thing. Born and bred in west texas…..show some respect asswipes…He represents a dying institution.
Posted by krisnic24 on November 4th, 2009Hmm. What if Robert Duvall played Rooster? I against remaking this at all, but this is an interesting thought.
Posted by C-dub on November 6th, 2009Sorry to get in on this so late, but it looks like Bridges for Rooster, Matt Damon for Texas Ranger, and Josh Brolin for Tom Cheney. No word on the Mattie character yet. Although, I’ve heard there is an open casting call out in Lubbock, TX on November 7, for 11-16y old girls.
Posted by C-dub on November 6th, 2009Robert Duvall was in the original. He played Ned Pepper. Dennis Hopper was also in the original. Hopper playing Rooster would be interesting. Tommy Lee Jones would be better. Matt Damon for the Ranger is perfect, he even looks a bit like Glen Campbell. Now for the hard part, who’s going to sing the title song?
Posted by jwmatney on November 12th, 2009I don’t know, remaking such a film is almost sacrilegious. However, it may also breath some life back into the Western genre and hopefully get the younger generation on the trail.
Now that we have the technology to do so…let’s finally get to the bottom of this Billy the Kid story!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ascertaining-the-TRUTH-about-Billy-the-Kids-death-grave-site/182383568009?ref=mf
–Stacy
Posted by Stacy Foster on November 18th, 2009Oh yea…I never even thought of that…Robert Duvall as Rooster!!!
–Stacy
Posted by Stacy Foster on November 18th, 2009Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong thats all I am going to is that this is wrong… how could they do this to the Duke
Posted by Carl on November 18th, 2009could anyone fill me in on what made this a classic? i’m auditioning for Mattie tommorrow and i want to know all of the background. what was the girl like? even though she wasn’t the lead in the origional. but since she is for this one.
Posted by cat on December 5th, 2009Well This isn’t exactly good news, not yet anyhow. True Grit is a bit of a standard to me. This is one of the roles that really cemented Wayne’s iconography (is that a word or did I just pull it out of my ass?) I think “Daisy M #8″ is about right though, if you are going to do it, do it with Mickey Rourke. But reign him in, don’t let him bully you into switching the horse for a Harley, and the chaps for black leather road gear…x
Posted by xego on December 6th, 2009Although remakes can be great or bad, being told by the 14 year old girl this time is toooo great!!! With the Coen’s attention to detail, what a way to look at it, and it should be a blast. I do know of a young 14 year old girl who is auditioning for the part in Nashville, who is PERFECT for the deal…strait talker, not much big time actress history, so she is really real, loves horses and loves her daddy…is strong…not to give out our friends daughter’s name, but first is Jennifer and last has the ski at the end..Like the big lebowski…here is to whomever they choose, because this told from the deceased father’s daughter point of view can have a following of men and women and young adults…including girls. I think with the right bright new to the sceen young actress, this could be a winner.
Posted by jim on December 9th, 2009Please don’t do this, leave a good thing alone, especially not with a no talent Jeff Bridges, he has no talent, no presence, he will make it a joke, and as for the rest of the little men they have lined up, well they might be ok, but get a MAN to play J.W., someone with stage presence, but a remake of this is just WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Gary on December 13th, 2009you cannot replace John Wayne as true grit, only man able to do it would be Tom Selleck
Posted by sjc on December 22nd, 2009I hope they film it in the right place. I loved the original but the scenery was out of place for the Quachita mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Please film it in a place that at least looks like the original setting!
Posted by mark on December 27th, 2009I’m fucking furious. there is no chance in hell this movie can even come close to the orginal. no one can be better than the duke. Jeff bridges will fail miserably if he trys to be like john wayne. this movie is a fucking classic you cant remake fucking classics. I watched the orginal movie every day of my childhood and will still turn it on at least once i month. I would rather get castrated then watch this soon to be shitty remake. Fuck the Coen brothers and jeff bridges
Posted by eddie on January 5th, 2010TOM SELLECK is completely right for this movie!!! He actually is a cattleman,horseman &the basic same kind of mind set as was Duke! I am one of the few that remeber & knew Duke & any of us will tell you that Selleck would be Duke`s choice. He has the stature,presence,mind set,can move with athorithy & will insist on doing his on stunts. He`s 6ft 41/2in tall around 235lbs. He will put this on the level it needs to be!
Posted by Hal Hoover on January 17th, 2010Don’t mess with a classic. And especially don’t let the Cohens touch a John Wayne Movie. Moviemaking has advanced but the feel of those old westerns can’t be replaced or redone. make a new western if you want with all the blood and gore you want but leave the iconic performances alone.
Posted by Colby on January 21st, 2010Totally agree with Hal on this one… Anyone trying to pull off ‘The Duke’ will be very tough, but Tom Selleck has the best chance with his size and demeanor.
Posted by TX on February 10th, 2010I lover the original…a total western masterpiece.
One of the Duke’s best performances and he well deserved his oscar.
I also love the Cohen brothers and and Mr Bridges so I’m looking forward to what they’ll do with the movie.
If anyone can do it justice this combined talent can.
Posted by Matt on February 16th, 2010Look, the only possible reason to re-make this movie would be to erase the absolutely HORRIBLE “performance” of Glen Campbell. Every other part was perfectly cast and the acting was tremendous, even down to the bit parts. But with CGI, can’t they just “paste in” Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson or whoever the hell is tall enough and has enough acting chops to stand up to the size and strength of Wayne and his over-the-top performance? Let George Lucas “re-make” only Campbell’s scenes, the only blemishes in what COULD have been one of the top 100 movies of all time had a decent actor played the Texas Ranger LeBouef.
Posted by Kim on February 21st, 2010By the way, Bridges could do OK in the Cogburn part if he doesn’t try to duplicate Wayne’s performance. (Any actor would fail miserably at that. it can’t be improved upon or even matched)I don’t understand the venom directed towards this guy…he’s beefy enough and he can act. DeNiro can’t pull this off. DuVall and Hackman are great actors who ride horses well, but aren’t real big in stature. Selleck is a great guy, can act a little, but always plays basically the same guy. Can he even pull off cranky, much less world-weary, belligerent Rooster? And he’s too good-looking and the studios would INSIST on someone with more box office success, which Selleck doesn’t have. If he’s not too old for the part and if the movie HAS to be re-made… Sam Elliott would be my choice. But ideally, this film gets scrapped.
Posted by Kim on February 21st, 2010The Coens version will do nothing but improve a classic of Americana.
Posted by Wild Bill on March 8th, 2010Lets get real. Everything Wayne did was a waste of film. He couldn’t
act and was the first to admit that his films were garbage. The Coens
will make a beautifully filmed version faithful to the original. I can’t
wait to see it!
Ooooh ick. Jeff Bridges as Rooster? Matt Damon as the Texan? Made for TV, maybe. And the original has much more sreen time for the girl than any other character. Finally, Glen Campbells performance was critically favorable. Maybe not Waynes best but more than favorable.
Posted by James on March 19th, 2010Have you seen the Coen’s version of “The Ladykillers”? Over-the-top awful! Funny someone mentioned Vince Vaughn. Remember Pycho?
Bottom line: Why?
Sorry, Psycho.
Posted by James on March 19th, 2010I am furious that 2 of the worst filmmakers in the history of movies, the coen brothers, would even consider in their little pea brains of remaking one of the Duke’s greatest movies.
I am not against the idea completely, but i would rather see a western director, like Simon Wincer or Clint Eastwood, do a remake. And i am not at all happy with the choice of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. No disrespect to him, but he just does not fit the bill for Rooster.
The only actors i can see playing Rooster are Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Tom Selleck, and Tom Berenger. I do like Brolin as Tom Chaney though.
Altogether though, i don’t think this movie should be made period, let alone by 2 people who have no idea of how to make a decent movie like the coen brothers. They have made laughingstocks of actors like Damon and George Clooney, and i swear if they make this movie and it doesn’t do justice to John Wayne, then may their careers die with this film.
Posted by Matt on April 1st, 2010I am EXCITED that 2 of the BEST filmmakers in the history of movies, the coen brothers, would even consider in their little BIG brains of remaking one of the Duke’s greatest movies.
I am not FOR the idea completely, but i would rather see a EASTERN director, like Simon Wincer or Clint Eastwood, do a remake. And i am not at all happy with the choice of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. No disrespect to him, but he just does not fit the bill for Rooster.
The only actors i can see playing Rooster are MICKEY ROUKE, Robert Duval, and Tom Berenger. I do like Brolin as Tom Chaney though.
Altogether though, i DO think this movie should be made period, let alone by 2 people who have MANY A idea of how to make a decent movie like the coen brothers. They have made RESPECTABLE, actors like Damon and George Clooney, and i swear WHEN they make this movie and it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE justice to John Wayne, then may their careers LIVE FOREVER IN film.
Posted by rus in chicago on April 1st, 2010How long have those Coen boys been riding sheep?
Posted by Leigh Ann on August 18th, 2010If they want their careers to LIVE FOREVER – BE ORIGINAL …… oh well, that’ll be the day.
Hollywood does seem to have run out of ideas, but remakes can be successful. Japanese “Sukiyaki Western Django” was the best western I have seen in years. I grew up watching John Wayne movies with my dad, but I always tended towards the more intelligent, artistic visions of “spaghetti westerns.” I think the Coen bros have made some decent movies & Jeff Bridges has potential, but honestly for all the whiners above… using the modern day version of John Wayne would mean remaking the movie with someone like Steve Austin or John Cena in the lead, someone who is all “man” but little talent. I know that the Duke is an institution, but honestly, can anyone argue the fact that he couldnt act? He is up there with Sly Stallone, he has his place in Hollywood and did what he did well. I think Bridges toughest challenge will be dumbing himself down enough.
Posted by Dusty45s on September 3rd, 2010The Coen brothers can kiss their happy asses goodbye. They just trashed their reputations forever by doing this disgraceful “remake.” What a pair of total fidiots. And I used to respect them…….
Posted by peeteypie on December 9th, 2010If they are going to do something like this, re-title it at the very least. Don’t try to ride the coattails of a Hollywood classic by an American icon. Dumb !
Posted by peeteypie on December 9th, 2010O-K, I see its too late now to re-title it. Its gonna be “True Grit”, love it or like it, and that’s it. Oy ! I’m sick. If Bridges is the lead, its wrong….’cause he hasn’t the presence to be a “heavy” in the genre’ of “a one-eyed fat man”. He don’t have the physical heft, the bellowing voice or the “bear-like paws” of a real man; he just doesn’t pass the screen-test as a Big Man. Nope.
Posted by peeteypie on December 9th, 2010Leave a Reply