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The Coen Brothers' True Grit remake is shaping up nicely, with a release date having just been announced by Paramount: December 25th, 2010 [via Variety].  The original film starred John Wayne as a hired gun who teams up with a local lawman and a 14-year-old girl to track down the her father's killer.  This time, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are the two trackers, while Josh Brolin's onboard as the murderer.

While the Coen Brothers' script for True Grit plans on keeping all the characters featured in the 1969 John Wayne version, it's been said that the eccentric directing/writing team have taken the focus off Wayne's Rooster Cogburn character for their version and opted to place a greater emphasis on Mattie, the young girl whose father's murder gets the plot rolling along.  This falls in line with an earlier report that the Coen Brothers would stick more to Charles Portis' novel with their adaptation.

For who may be a good choice for the part of Mattie, plus an obvious explanation for the studio's decision to deliver it on Christmas, saddle up and hit the jump.

A casting call for the role took place just last month, but as of yet no actress has been attached to the role.  Might we suggest Kick-Ass star Chloe Moretz?  If the buzz on Kick-Ass is to be believed, she'll be pretty popular once True Grit arrives in theaters.

Variety's article on the matter also points out that Paramount has positioned the remake smack-dab in the center of awards season because if the Coen Brothers knock this one out of the park, they may be cleaning up this time next year at the Oscars, Globes, and Kids Choice Awards.

As per usual, stay tuned to Collider for more on this remake as it becomes availableWhile you're here, feel free to let us know if you're looking forward to-- or dreading-- the Coens' version of True Grit in the comments section below.

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