Coen brothers to remake Western classic True Grit

Joel and Ethan Coen are developing a new version of the Charles Portis book True Grit, which was the basis for the 1969 Western that won John Wayne an Oscar. This, according to a report by Variety.

The new Paramount film won’t be a traditional remake, as it’s expected to remain more faithful to the book than the original Western. Also, while the original was a showcase for superstar John Wayne, the Coen brothers’ version will tell the story from the girl’s point of view.

The original story follows a feisty 14-year-old girl whose father is murdered and, with the help of an aging, hard-living and tough U.S. marshal and another lawman tracking the same killers for another crime, tracks her father’s killer into hostile Indian territory.

The original starred Kim Darby as the teen, Wayne and Glen Campbell as the lawmen, Jeff Corey as the killer and also featured Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper as fellow outlaws.

The Coens just finished writing and directing the black comedy A Serious Man, which revolves around a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house. A Serious Man is due in theaters on October 2, 2009, and stars Simon Helberg, Adam Arkin, Richard Kind, George Wyner, Fyvush Finkel, Katherine Borowitz, Michael Stuhlbarg, Raye Birk, Amy Landecker, Peter Breitmayer, Allen Lewis Rickman, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick and Tim Russell.