It’s been close to 42 years since we last saw the escapades of Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross on the big screen in True Grit. The original 1969 film was directed by Henry Hathaway and featured John Wayne in his only Oscar winning role. So when the acclaimed directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen decided to adapt the Charles Portis novel of the same name, they had their work cut out for them. When we attended the press conference for this month’s True Grit, we discovered that the directors didn’t look at their film as a remake but a retelling of the book. Find out what the Coens, actos Jeff Bridges and Barry Pepper, and cinematographer Roger Deakins had to say about their journey from the page to the screen…

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The Coen Brothers‘ latest film True Grit will be the opening feature at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. The movie debuts in U.S. theaters on December 22, but the folks overseas won’t get their first taste of it until the new year. According to Berlinale.de, the film will premiere at the festival on February 11, 2011.

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Back in April we told you that Doug Liman was up to direct the developing remake of the 1960s film Gambit but unfortunately that deal fell through. The project was left in limbo, which is insane considering that Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen penned the screenplay. According to Deadline, they’ve finally found someone to pick up where Liman left off — Michael Hoffman.

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Here’s a taste of reverse fortune. As of late all we’ve been hearing about are American directors adapting or remaking foreign (mostly Japanese and Chinese) properties. Oh, how the tables have turned. According to Variety, Chinese director Zhang Yimou is planning on remaking Ethan and Joel Coen‘s 1984 film, Blood Simple. Sony Pictures Classics have agreed to distribute the upcoming Coen brothers adaptation domestically and in major foreign territories.

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