The most important casting in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen‘s new adaptation of Charles Portis’s 1968 novel, True Grit, is the role of main character Mattie Ross. After an intense audition process that saw the likes of 15,000 or so teenage girls, the part was given to 13-year-old relative unknown Hailee Steinfeld.

Steinfeld will play Ross, the 14-year-old girl who in 1873 set off on a mission to avenge the ruthless murder of her father at the hands of a drifter who was hired to help on their farm. So far, the young actress has only appeared in Back to You, Heather: A Fairy Tale, and She’s a Fox, making this new job one that will likely change her life forever.

To assist her in her quest for vengeance, Mattie Ross hires an old, one-eyed, tough-as-nails drunk named Rooster Cogburn to help her find the drifter, whose name is Tom Chaney. The odd couple also eventually find themselves meeting up with a Texas Ranger named La Boeuf who wants to find Chaney and claim the rewards that come with his capture. These roles have all already been cast by major star power to support Steinfeld, with Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges playing Rooster Cogburn, Academy Award winner Matt Damon playing La Boeuf, and Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin playing Tom Chaney.

This of course is not the first time that Portis’s novel has been turned into a film. Legendary actor John Wayne won an Oscar for playing Rooster Cogburn in 1969’s True Grit, and played him again 1975’s Rooster Cogburn.

The Coen brothers’ new adaptation of True Grit will be released on Christmas Day of this year.

[Source: Deadline Hollywood]