We’ve been talking about The Ring 3 (or The Ring 3D) for years now so even after F. Javier Guiterrez was tapped to helm the film, I still doubted that it would actually happen.  However, this latest update suggests that the new installment is closer to production than ever.  It’s being reported that Italian actress Matilda Lutz just scored the lead role in the film, which apparently will bring back Samara and the cursed videotape, but not Naomi Watts’ Rachel Keller.

Hit the jump for more on Lutz and the American franchise’s third film, now titled Rings.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but according to The Wrap, Lutz is the female lead in the film.  She’s got a handful of titles to her name, but the most significant seems to be Fuoriclasse, an Italian television series, which looks to be heading towards a third season.  Even though I haven’t seen that or a single other thing she’s been in, it’s nice to see the studio go with a fresh face for a change.

However, no matter who they cast, it’ll still come down to the script.  I can’t say I was dying for another Ring film after The Ring Two, but it could work.  If The Wrap’s report is accurate, Samara’s return is our very first plot detail.  While it’s nice to know that this new iteration might stick closer to the core concept of the original, the idea of having something a bit more modern, like a haunted DVD, had some appeal.

It’s also worth noting that Rings was the title of the Jonathan Liebesman-directed short film that’s set in between The Ring and The Ring Two.  At that point, the original tape has been copied a bunch of times and it’s inspired teens across the country to establish “Rings,” groups of kids that watch the tape one at a time, record what they see and then pass the tape on to another group member before the seventh day arrives.  A deeper exploration of that subculture could certainly be an interesting and timely approach to the upcoming feature.