Bridges for Coens' cowboy remake

Jeff Bridges is set to play John Wayne’s iconic character in ‘True Grit’.

The 59-year-old actor will portray legendary cowboy Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn in the modern-day remake of the 1969 blockbuster, which is due to be made by renowned filmmakers the Coen brothers.

Bridges revealed to Britain’s FHM Magazine: "I’m hoping that it goes down. We don’t know for sure. The Coens want to do it and the studio wants to make it, it’s just a matter of executing the desires of all these people.

"I’ll be playing the John Wayne role."

The plotline – which was based on the 1968 book of the same name, by Charles Portis – is about a drunken US Marshal and a Texas Ranger’s journey to help a stubborn young woman track down her father’s murderer.

The original film was directed by Henry Hathaway and saw Wayne win the Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for his work on the film.