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EXCLUSIVE: Every hot young actress in Hollywood wants to play the lead in Sony Pictures’ The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. But will director David Fincher cast one of them — or go with an unknown? This is the studio’s next 3-film franchise based on Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy. It begins with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (there’s a very well-received Swedish version in theaters right now), and continues with The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest. So what’s described to me as ”creme de la creme” of young actresses are calling Sony execs as well as producer Scott Rudin and asking if they “can come in for a meeting” about it.
Carey Mulligan, the Oscar nominee from The Education, actually phoned the pic’s writer Steve Zallian and took him to lunch. (Reminds me of that bad joke about the ambitious actress and the writer, but Zallian is also the exec producer.) Juno Oscar nominee Ellen Page wrote a heartfelt note to Rudin. (Her Hard Candy persona is perfect for the part.) Sony execs insist they’re “nowhere near casting”. But Mulligan, Page, Kristen Stewart, Mia Wasikowska, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Thirlby, and Scarlett Johannsen are all circling.
The problem is that director David Fincher “is not sure if he wants to go with an actress of any note or go with an unknown,” an insider tells me. “David’s process is very specific and private. He’s looking for authenticity and a degree of fierceness and believeability capable of delivering the intensity that the part on the page calls for.” I hear Sony execs think the bestseller itself is such a phenom, and the material so exciting, that the twentysomething female lead doesn’t need a name. On the other hand, they think the male lead does require a star, and the studio is waiting for an answer from Brad Pitt.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Go with an unknown and for once, please think outside the box. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a white actress.
it would be amazing if they picked an unknown person of color…
Sadly, they won’t. I would like to see Zoe Kravitz’s name added in the mix because while she is lesson known, she certainly has more “edge” than Mulligan, Wasikowska and Knightley (no, she was not edgy in Domino).
They should concentrate more on improving script as the Swedish movie was a half-hour too long, the Nazi angle a waste and the relationship between the journalist and Lisbeth not fleshed out enough.
‘The Nazi angle a waste’… it’s part of the book!!! It also is integral to the plot in the 3rd book.
Wow, way to spin a complete untruth. There is NO mention of Nazis after book one. It’s a minor element to the backstory of a secondary character in that book alone.
Every actress is of color.
Yes, particularly amazing since the character is Swedish
I was thinking the same thing! I’m glad someone else considered this possiblity. Since he’s leaving it open to an unknown, why not consider other ethnicities as well? It would be amazing!
or even an unknown person of color with a handicap!
Lisbeth Salander AS IN the books is a “mutt”… A genius level hacker who’s also a multi ethnic bisexual female with Asperger’s syndrome who was abused by the swedish “system”.
I truly hope she’s not turned into a bland version of the book. the first book introduces her story as their investigation unfolds.
If it’s re-imagined or transported to our shores it’ll loose the gritty qualities that has made the books a WORLDWIDE hit.
“Multi-ethnic”? You make her sound like a living Benneton ad. The character is half Swedish and half European Russian. You don’t get much paler or whiter than that. I’m all for casting non-white actors when it’s possible, but her background is actually vital to the plot as the series goes on.
The perfect girl to play the role would be Shannon Sossyman. She has that dark edge to her she fits the role perfectly.
Zoe Saldana has my vote!
colorful casting choices
If the Sony execs select a “big name” with this list , I’m rooting for Ellen Page & Anne Hathaway. They both incredibly displayed a hard edge intensity & fearlessness in “Hard Candy” & “Rachel Getting Married”. Anne may have an advantage because she is already getting rave reviews for another edgy performance in the upcoming “Love And Other Drugs”. Plus, the Hollywood insiders (and Fox execs) are predicting her second Oscar nomination for this buzzed performance.
I would NOT see this movie if Anne Hathaway was cast as Salander or Brad Pitt as Bloomkvist.
The characters are so powerful as written that to cast a familiar face in the role would undermine the genius of the author and distract the viewer from the story. I would always be conscious I was watching “X” or “Y” in the role and subconsciously be judging their performance. It would be a huge distraction.
I’m hoping for Ellen Page or Brittany Snow. I’m sure it won’t be either of them but they are the hottest, cutest, and most talented.
There is no planet on which Brittany Snow is talented. Pretty to look at, sure. But talented? Compared to the legions of other girls who can actually act? No.
Hathaway is too tall unless you completely forgo the character description (she’s supposed to be a dwarf). Page would be ideal and anyone who takes the time to watch “Hard Candy” would see why. If they take a tall woman, the film will have crossed over to the Dark (Hollywood) side.
Miley Cyrus is a lock.
i’m afraid, the only way this hollywood remake would work is with an unknown actor. or someone invent a time machine for a young unknown winona ryder or angelina jolie.
What stadium-sized balls. No wonder everyone fucking hates America. I JUST saw the Swedish version and it’s… let’s just say it doesn’t need to be “remade” so we can all witness the genius of David Finchnernrysty.
The Swedish chick rocks. Everyone in it rocks. Leave it alone you arrogant Hollywood pricks.
couldn’t agree more.
Agreed! The original film was great and should remain untouched.
Aside from the girl who played Lisbeth, the Swedish movie was kind of a bore. The direction is mediocre at best–you can see the film’s roots as a tv series–and if the source material weren’t so compelling it wouldn’t be anything special. I would love to see what Fincher could do with this book.
I just ordered the book. Wanted to read it before I saw the movie. I particularly love that the story was filmed in Sweden with Swedish actors. I wouldn’t see it if the film was cast with Hollywood actors and actresses. Brad Pitt? Are you kidding? It defeats the purpose! We just had Worldfest in Houston where I tried to see as many Scandanavian films as I could, reason being, they have more depth than the US counterparts. I’m looking forward to the other two Millineum novels being made into films!
Joanne in Houston, Texas
fincher only makes a film every blue moon and he chooses this? i don’t get it – the swedish film is fan-freaking-tastic (maybe the best page-to-screen adaptiation since “silence of the lambs”) and, i hear, the remake is also going to bet set in europe(?). thus begging the question: what’s the fucking point?!
and if ellen page plays this part, i may pluck my eyes out.
What is the problem with a film set in Europe?
if ellen page gets this role, can she talk like she did in Juno? she can say something like, “Holy IKEA, granola ass, my Volvo’s been acting Gnarls Barkley lately.”
Oy. How about none of those actresses? Go with an unknown. Take a cue from the Swedish version, which has the casting spot on. The actors looked their age – looked REAL. How about Noomi Rapace, who played Salander? I’m sure she speaks flawless English. Since Fincher will put his own stamp on the script, her performance wouldn’t be a carbon copy of what she already did. Brad Pitt? Really?
natalie portman is too old for the part; she needs to grow up. Mia Wasikowska is the most talented of the lot; Fincher needs to take one look at her performance on “In Treatment” and cast her already.
“she needs to grow up” … you sound like an arrogant pri@*.
Just finished “…Dragon Tattoo” & am now reading the next novel. Salander is Clarice Starling gone goth. She is a great character.
Mulligan would be fine, Hathaway is physically wrong for the part (too gangly), but I think Page would be perfect with her piercing eyes & diminutive build. Imagine Page’s open & trusting face gone suspicious & dark. Fincher is one of the great directors now working so whoever he cast should be great. This is almost-too-good-to-be-true material for him.
Go with an unknown. Make it an event.
If it didn’t have to be a twenty something, I’d say go with Fairuza Balk. Chick is bad ass. But she’s in her thirties.
The movie is sure to bomb. Dragon Tattoo has done poorly in the US, and not much in Sweden. Its author is a hard-core Marxist who portrays his native Swedish White males as rapists, and the Muslim immigrants as poor oppressed good guys.
Needless to say, that’s like a Leni Riefenstahl film out of Berlin in 1940.
The heroine is a promiscuous drug user who “beats up” misogynists White bad guys. Its a total flop in the making.
Women don’t like violence, they like stuff about relationships, families, snagging Mr. Big Shot. Mamma Mia is not my cup of tea, but likely 1000% better just as a movie (and far more profitable) than this dreck.
Guys like violence (if done right) in movies, but only when THEY are the heroes, and the girl saved or gotten is worthwhile. That’s why Taken zoomed from nothing-special revenge flick to amazing box office. Father saves his daughter by slotting Muslim sex-slavers? Box office gold.
It doesn’t matter who is cast, this movie is a turkey in the making for anyone to see. Last I checked there weren’t too many guys looking for the equivalent of “Bombshell McGee” to kick their own asses.
Besides, if I’m in Times Square, I don’t have to worry about nerdy, cubicle dweller White guys committing violence. Its the sons of Pakistani Air-Vice Marshals who set up bombs.
“Best-seller?” It won a bunch of awards in Sweden (its title in Sweden is “Men Who Hate Women” which should tell you something) based on its politics … and the fact that Swedes don’t write much. the Times UK reports 2 million sales in Sweden, comparable in Denmark. I loathe Twilight, but it sold 20 million in the US BEFORE the films link here.
This is something so stupid only a Sony Exec could dream it up. America is not Sweden or Denmark. At a time when the American Flag is not allowed on campus during Cinco De Mayo, “anti-Racism” (i.e. the rich White guy search for bigger status than everyone else) is not a sell, given ample proof non-Whites are just as racist (if not more so) than Whites. Nor is “misogyny” … not the least of which is the obvious female fascination for bad boys like Charlie Sheen, who finds (allegedly) holding a knife to his wife’s throat on Christmas Day no impediment to popularity among his female fans.
I’m all for more non-comic book movies. But this seems as stupid thinking Americans will enjoy Lutefisk every day for breakfast.
Um, I think it’s one of the highest grossing–if not THE highest grossing–film in Swedish history. Get your facts right.
What a shame to view everything through a political prism. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” — the book — has been translated into 37 languages, and was number one on the New York Times best-seller list. The movie version made more than $16-million in Sweden — a country of a little more than 9-million people — and has made more than $100-million internationally. Open your eyes.
yeah, yeah, whiskey, just like avatar bombed, right? we’re still all waiting for your arrogant ass to admit you were wrong on that one.
Agree with all your points…
PLUS:
I found this ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ film to be
un-necessarily disturbing and nobody in the theatre was prepared for the level of hatred portrayed — unless they read the book and then WHY would anyone want to see this pornography?
Oftentimes, GWTDT is a beautifully shot version of the
Saw franchise, disguised as a Nordic-Euro art film…
yet just as needless for anyone to witness.
What nobody is saying is this film perpetuates everything
in the world that does not need telling:
Torture porn, violent rape, more torture, torture dens,
cavalier approach to torture and anti-semitic tortures
and a legacy of S+M murders.
And a major studio is going to bombard the world with
a re-make of this – with Brad Pitt? Shameful.
Let this project fade away. The original film is a repugnant
story; made for eyes greedy to see despair and malevelonce.
We’re on earth for just a puff, folks! Let’s celebrate, not denigrate, the tender, short lifetimes we have together.
Thank you. I agree one hundred percent. I found the story vile.
whiskey. Why do you hate America so much that you want to generalize all Americans as undereducated, small-minded simpletons that don’t care about anything beyond their own borders and who don’t enjoy anything on-screen that isn’t a PG-rated politically-correct tentpole with copious CGI?
btw, it’s clear you haven’t read the book(s).
btw pt 2, more than 27 million copies sold worldwide = blockbuster
Waaaay to reinforce dumb stereotypes. Take a look at all the attention Kick Ass has received for having a non-romantic leading girl. I am a young woman who LOVES seeing asskicking women kick ass. Strong female characters are few and far between because of the absolute drivel fed to us by Hollywood.
Oh and though I think she’s physically right, Ellen Page will ALWAYS be Juno, and she’s just not hard enough for this role.
Cast Yo-Landi Vi$$er.
So Whiskey, you’re not interested then?
Have you read the book? Have you seen the original movie? You spout off like you have an actual working knowledge of the property, but it’s clear you do not. Through all your ranting and blanket statements (“Women don’t like violence, but men do”) I’m not even sure what it is you’re objecting to. I do understand, however, that you feel emasculated by strong women, but that’s a personal problem you should deal with.
“Dragon Tattoo has done poorly in the US”. Poorly compared to what? True it’s not a blockbuster by any means, but it has had limited play so one should not expect that it could possibly make any impact on the box-office or compete in any way with Hollywood product.
“The heroine is a promiscuous drug user” – really? Why? Because she likes both men and women? Mikael is more promiscuous than Lisbeth. Hell he has sex with nearly ever female character at one point or another.
“Swedes don’t write much” – that’s actually laughable. Do you follow Swedish literature? I don’t, but I’d be willing to guess that there are a pretty respectable bunch of best-selling Swedish authors that a very hot commodity in Sweden. Just because you haven’t heard of them doesn’t mean a thing.
I say you need to broaden your horizons a bit. It’s a great big world out there and we Americans make up just a small portion of it.
uh, the Swedish film is a HUGE international hit and, for a foreign language film, is doing well in the US. Your remark that the book only sold 2 million copies in Sweden is beyond stupid…Sweden has a population of about 10 million, so 1 in 5 Swedes bought the book. That would be the equivalent of a book in the US selling 60 million copies.
You’re not very bright, are you?
I second Zoe Kravitz in this role. Or if they’re going to go with someone unknown, at the very least, find someone with good tattoo work who can act. It’s not hard especially in LA, NYC, London, etc.
@whiskey
You are one angry white dude aren’t ya? Misogynist stereotype much?
Don’t tell me or any woman what we like and don’t film-wise or otherwise. I’ll take Predator, Rec, Let The Right One In over Mama Mia, Sex & The City and whateverthehellitwas Traveling Pants any day.
Not all of us are into shopping, kitchen “duties” and fretting over a wedding day.
I actually think Ewan McGregor would suit the male lead a lot more than Pitt. Mulligan or Psge for the female role.
Anne Hathaway? Give me a f*cking break. Talentless, awkward looking piece of garbage. Get it right- RACHEL was good IN SPITE of her. Go with an unknown.
What happened to you that made you so miserable and mean?
B: I find her irksome. She always seems outclassed/in over her head. If she was nicer to look at, I’d have an easier time understanding the attraction. Also, her engagement to that mini-Madoff was a deal breaker.
No, you get it right- Rachel Getting Married was a bad movie with a great performance in it.
Nope. I wholeheartedly agree with N. That Hathaway was actually nominated for an Oscar for “Rachel,” proves just how meaningless a nod has become. Sad.
I haven’t seen the foreign film, but I read the book and the girl is really a secondary character. She may have a bigger part in the sequels, but this is hardly a lead role in the book. There is some good meaty stuff in the part, but if it stays true to the book it isn’t a lead part (despite the title).
The series of films (haven’t read the books) is like a contemporary version of those old pulp fiction inspired B movies from the 50s, ut with that sad, no-fun, uncreative, cynicism-giddy twist Hollywood flicks get these days.
Everything is thrown at us, except the kitchen sink. We have nazis, lesbians, sadists, male and female rapists, over the top court dramas, assassination attempts, conspiracies at the heart of the government, Soviet psychos, people burning alive, giant weirdo killers of the Jaws-from-James-Bond variety, etc. Just utterly preposterous. So, yeah, not sensationalistic and overwrought at all.
Hey! That’s perfect material for Fincher actually!
Why don’t you actually read the books before you make a comment. They are truly unique.
I’ll be astonished if a Hollywood version doesn’t soften the abuse suffered or genuine damage borne by the character in the Swedish original. Which is a far from perfect film, but a genuinely effective one.
Why remake it . Go see the original on theater now .
Look, I am not so naive that I believe one has to hew so close to the book’s character when casting. But c’mon, have any of you actually read the novel? Lisbeth is an enigma in the form of a stiletto. You need guarded, brilliant, sexy in one package. The names mentioned above? Uh…
If you haven’t read the two books and if you haven’t seen the swedish movie, don’t bother commenting; you don’t know what you’re talking about!
Gosh,Ellen and Carey seem kind of desperate. I think Ellen needs this role more than anybody else though. She hasn’t got much lined up besides Inception and that most likely straight to DVD James Gunn movie.
It’s time for Natalie Portman to grow up,she doesn’t need this role. She’ll be 30 next year.
I read this book last summer and it was a blast of a mystery. It reminded me of Smilla’s Sense of Snow. Anyway Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair wrote a background article on the author and some facts emerged about the themes and Sweden. No matter I have second book and the third is coming out I believe this month. So who knows this could be a movie trilogy if it’s told right. But the book was a blast.