8091e361683f53eeba6ed39948f656baIt’s incredible that such a thunderous performance as Hailee Steinfeld’s in True Grit has been followed up by so long an absence from the screen, but the 16 year old will return in a big way this year. With nearly half a dozen films being released or wrapping up in 2013 —Ender’s Game seemingly the first that will make it to screens– we’ll be seeing a lot from Steinfeld very soon. Once the wave breaks though, it won’t take long for things to come full circle as Steinfeld will return to the desert for another dusty turn alongside a grizzled veteran.

The Homesman will be Tommy Lee Jones’ first feature film since The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada, which is a criminally underseen contemporary western from 2005. Anyone who saw that film knows Jones’ return behind the camera and to the desert is a big deal. Apparently the film revolves around a man who partners with a frontier woman to help him escort three insane women back to settled areas. The exact time period is not specified.

Steinfeld won’t be returning to her Coen-backed wit for this one though, as she plays a “a poor, simple, and barefooted teenager named Tabitha Hutchinson,” per Deadline.

Jones’ is surrounding himself with a bevy of great actors for this one. Along with Steinfeld he’s already got Meryl Streep, James Spader, Hilary Swank, Tim Blake Nelson, John Lithgow and of course himself on board. This is a serious “must-watch” project.