The Coen Brothers‘ True Grit is easily one of my most anticipated films of the year. Both No Country For Old Men and A Serious Man were my favorite films of that year, not to mention the rest of the modern masterpieces in their filmography. Their next stars Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Jeff Bridges. The film will focus on a young girl and we knew the Coens wanted a unknown actress. It has now been confirmed by Deadline, after auditioning 15,000 girls that Hailee Steinfeld will be Mattie Ross. She is not a complete unknown, as you can see a few of her credits here.

The True Grit remake is said to be more faithful to the original Charles Portis novel than the 1969 film adaptation, which John Wayne won an Oscar for. The novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father’s killer in hostile Indian territory. The Coen’s version will tell the tale from the girl’s point of view, unlike the John Wayne film, which focused strictly on his character.

True Grit starts filming this spring for a Christmas Day 2010 release.

What do you think about Steinfeld as the lead? Are you looking forward to True Grit?