True Grit Redux

My natural antipathy towards all remakes had my stomach rolling when I first saw this headline over at First Showing: there's a remake of True Grit in the works. After all, its the film that finally won John Wayne an Oscar for Best Actor. And even if you've never seen True Grit, you've probably seen the clip of Wayne charging the bad guys, reins in his teeth, both guns ablaze. It's one of those iconic film moments that gives you a thrill, especially when you're watching John Wayne fill out the mythical proportions that his screen persona created. Given my fondness for the movie, how do I feel about the remake? I staunchly stand by the idea that Hollywood is out of ideas by investing in ANOTHER remake. And this time, they seem to be getting dangerously close to remaking a classic film, as True Grit treads on the edges of that classification. If the slipperly slope continues, is a Casablanca remake in our future? I do have to admit I'm slightly intrigued by the fact that the Coen Brothers want to shift the film perspective to that of the girl and away from the U.S. Marshall, in an attempt to go back to the original source book of the same name.

In short, please Hollywood, stop remaking films and go find some original ideas. But since this project is already a go, here is a chance to disprove my doubts. Good luck.