Earlier this month, a surprising report made the rounds regarding the Dragon Tattoo franchise. With David Fincher’s 2011 adaptation of the Stieg Larsson novel being considered a disappointment, the story suggested that the series is going in a different direction moving forward, with Alicia Vikander potentially replacing Rooney Mara in the lead role of Lisbeth Salander. But while that’s the narrative that’s spreading around, things don’t quite seem to be set in stone.
Yesterday morning, I attended a Los Angeles press event for the upcoming Todd Haynes drama Carol, and it was while talking with Rooney Mara that I took the opportunity to ask about her future as the aforementioned goth-styled introverted computer genius. Noting the news about The Girl In The Spider’s Web moving forward, I asked if she had been approached by the studio about reprising Lisbeth Salander. It turns out that she really doesn’t know much about it all, but fully expects to play the part again if a new film is made. She explained,
Well, I know that they’ve hired Steven Knight to adapt the latest book into a screenplay. As far as I know, I’ll be playing the part until someone tells me otherwise. But I haven’t… I don’t know any more than that.
You can watch Rooney Mara's response in the video below:
Unlike the original "Millennium trilogy" of novels, The Girl In The Spider's Web is the only book in the series not to be written by Steig Larsson - as the author died back in 2004 (all three original stories were published posthumously). The story brings back both Lisbeth Salander as well as Mikael Blomkvist, who was played by Daniel Craig in David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo adaptation. At this time, it doesn’t look like the actor best known as James Bond will be reprising the role.
Personally, I think that the idea of replacing Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander is ridiculous – especially considering she’s seems very willing to do it (and is under contract). She was absolutely the best part of the film, fully embodying the character and melting into the role, and the clear proof of that is the fact that she was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination. It’s understandable when a director doesn’t return for a sequel, but to replace the lead actress in this case would be a mistake (even if the replacement is someone as talented as Alicia Vikander).
What do you think about this? Would you like to see Rooney Mara return as Lisbeth Salander, or should the roll be passed along for The Girl In The Spider’s Web? Hit the comments below with your thoughts.
