New "Jane Eyre" from "Sin Nombre" director

Mia Wasikowska as "Jane Eyre," opening March 18

The unforgettable 2009 sleeper "Sin Nombre," the first film from writer/director Cary Fukunaga, was as smashing a film debut as I've ever seen.  The film followed the dangerous, desperate journey of a few hopeful immigrants on the tops of trains northbound from Guatemala, through Mexico and into the great United States beyond.

"Sin Nombre"

Focus Features released the film that spring and saw moderate art house success, but while "Sin Nombre" faded relatively fast from theatrical release and onto DVD for future fans to discover and hold dear, its director became the next big One to Watch. Focus quickly, wisely, signed the 33-year-old American-born Fukunaga to a two-picture deal, keeping him in the fold while developing his next pair of projects.  First up: Fukunaga directs the studio's new take on Charlotte Bronte's gothic masterpiece "Jane Eyre." with starlet du jour Mia Wasikowska ("Alice in Wonderland, "The Kids are All Right," this January's Gus Van Sant dying-girl-and-ghosts love story "Restless") cinching into the classic corset of the mysterious orphan Jane.

Cary Fukunaga

Fukunaga's visual aesthetic is just what a new spin on "Jane Eyre" needs if there's any hope for it to be relevant, and with an ensemble featuring Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, Michael Fassbender and Jamie Bell, the odds are looking pretty damn good.  It helps that young star Wasikowska continues to offset any risk of overexposure with a wealth of talent, and Jane Eyre just may be the role that finally lands her in the big leagues.

Here's the first trailer for "Jane Eyre," which is set to open on March 18, 2011.