Oscar-winning Coen Brothers Casting In Tulsa For New Movie

An open casting for the lead female role in a remake of "True Grit," which originally starred John Wayne, will be held in Tulsa.

Girls between the ages of 12 and 16 are invited to participate. The Paramount Pictures remake is scheduled to start shooting in the Spring of this year.

The remake is a project of the Oscar-winning writing and directing brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, who also oversaw "A Serious Man," "Burn After Reading" and "No Country for Old Men," which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008.

This film is a remake of the western that earned John Wayne his Academy Award as one-eyed sheriff Rooster Cogburn in 1969. In the Coens' screenplay, "True Grit" will be told from the point of view of Mattie Ross. The movie will begin in 1928, at a point when Mattie tells how she avenged her father's murder back in 1873, when she was only 14 years old.

"Do not make the mistake of trying to appear like or imitate Kim Darby (who played Mattie Ross in the original film)," a press release said. "We are looking for a tough girl who is tough, strong and tells it like it is."

The casting directors are looking for real (scrubbed down, no make-up), "gritty" girls. Preferably the kind that ride horses, get dirty & speak their mind," the casting notes said. "They are not looking for theatrical "model" types. Rodeo girls (who ride & rope) are a plus. Not looking for pageant queens."

According to casting director Rachel Tenner, the Coens "would love, love, love to find somebody unknown ... Any girls with an instinct to try should come and give it a shot."

The open casting will be Sunday, Jan. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Hotel ambassador, 1324 South Main St.  Those interested are asked to bring a current photo and staff asks that only one parent or guardian accompany the girls due to space restrictions.  

"True Grit" is shooting in New Mexico and Texas and is slated to begin March 20, 2010.