Just unveiled is the trailer for the much-anticipated Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit, the 1969 movie for which John Wayne won his only Oscar. Jeff Bridges takes on Wayne’s iconic role, offering the opportunity to play with nicknames (“The Dude Playing the Duke“).

Reportedly, the movie is not as much based on the movie as the 1968 Charles Portis novel. A Newsday article from 2001 articulates the difference,

True Grit was both critically acclaimed and a bestseller when it was published in 1968. But today most people are more likely to be familiar with the John Wayne movie version that appeared in 1969, and that’s a pity. The film sticks to the plot and gets the tone wrong: It’s picturesque instead of possessed of a rough beauty; it’s antic and contrived, while the book is plain, direct and deep, like an old ballad.

Overlook Press rescued True Grit as well as Portis’s other books from being out-of-print cult titles.

The movie opening on Dec. 25 stars Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin who may have to work hard to hold their own against newcomer Hailee Steinfeld.

Official Web Site: TrueGritMovie.com

True Grit: Movie Tie-In Edition Charles Portis Retail Price: $14.95 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Overlook TP – (2010-10-05) ISBN / EAN: 159020459X / 9781590204597

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 at 8:57 am and is filed under Books & Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.