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Hailee Steinfeld Feels the 'Dead of Winter' for New Suspense Thriller

by Ben Pearson
August 10, 2012
Source: Variety

Those of you who have seen the Coen Brothers' adaptation of True Grit - which, I hope, is all of you - know that Hailee Steinfeld is undoubtedly a star on the rise. Though the 2010 western is the only film we've actually seen her in so far, she has Romeo & Juliet, the highly anticipated Ender's Game, and the rom-com Why We Broke Up coming soon, so she's been sticking mostly to adaptations in her short career so far. According to Variety, Steinfeld has signed on for a lead role in a Black List thriller called Dead of Winter, written by newcomer Sarah Conradt with music video helmer Anthony Mandler directing. Read on!

The story follows a father who takes his begrudging teenage daughter (Steinfeld) and her new stepmother out to a cabin in the woods for some family bonding, but they have to put aside their differences and work together to stay alive when a dangerous fugitive posing as a park ranger drops by unannounced. There is loads of potential in a story like this, and though it sounds pretty run-of-the-mill, I'm guessing it ended up on the Black List for a reason.

Mandler, who has directed msuic videos for Rihanna, Jay-Z, The Killers, and Drake, has been attached to The Last Days of American Crime and Die in a Gunfight for quite some time, but has yet to see either of those projects hit the big screen. If Dead of Winter moves quickly enough (talks are being held with Lionsgate to distribute), it could slip to the front of the pack and end up being his feature directorial debut. Sounds like there are a few more slots left for some veteran actors, so we'll keep you posted.

Filed under Casting, Development, Movie News

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