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In December, we reported on a national talent search that was underway over at Paramount Pictures. The Coen Brothers were looking for an unknown young actress to star in their upcoming rework of True Grit, based on the novel by Charles Portis. Variety describes the story as that of 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 original film was told through the eyes of John Wayne, who played one of the lawmen. This one will show the story through the eyes of the girl, who will be played by young Hailee Steinfeld. She joins a cast that already includes Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Steinfeld’s resume (which notes her ability to dance to hip-hop, which will not come in handy in this western) includes a few short films and one episode of the failed Fox sitcom Back to You, starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. This will be her feature film debut.

True Grit is scheduled to begin filming next month in New Mexico and Texas, with a December 25, 2010 release planned.