Whether it's a corporate marketing ploy or the Coen brothers' artistic choice (or both), Paramount Pictures is holding an open casting call for their next film, a remake of True Grit.
The casting call will only be for the film's young heroine, Mattie Ross. In the original, Mattie was played by Kim Derby, better known as John Cusak's bizarre mom in
Better Off Dead.
While Ms. Derby was 22-years-old when she starred alongside a one-eyed John Wayne, the Coens are searching for a younger Mattie this time around, restricting the age of the potential actress to between 12 and 17-years-old. This seems to be an odd choice given the older age range in the original and the fact that if they cast just one year older (18) they will have no child labor restrictions on set.
Potential starletts can click
HERE to sign up for auditions. Filming is set to begin in Spring, 2010. And if the Coens continue the upward trend of their past few movies, we can all look forward to an amazing Western in 2011.