More than a week ago, The Wrap had an interesting story about the American film adaptations of the Millennium trilogy, also known as the Lisbeth Salander films or the Dragon Tattoo films. The Swedes made their own film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s original three books, and those Swedish films (starring Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander) were wildly successful in Sweden and beyond. Noomi was seen by many as the definitive Lisbeth. But Hollywood being Hollywood, they decided to remake the series in English, with Rooney Mara as Lisbeth. The first film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, did not make back its cost, and the sequels were shelved. Now Sony is trying to revive/reboot the potential franchise with a new cast, and they’re allegedly going to leap-frog books to the fourth? Something like that. The Wrap claimed that Sony was looking at Alicia Vikander (a genuine Swede) to play Lisbeth and that Rooney was being pushed out. Now Page Six says Rooney wants back in and there’s a girlfight.
Don’t count on Rooney Mara giving up her role as hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander in the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” franchise just yet. Despite reports that Alicia Vikander is stepping into the role and Mara’s hanging up her hoodie, Hollywood sources say Rooney is still positioned to continue playing the coveted part in the films.
Last week, stories leaked to Hollywood trades that Mara — who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in the 2011 adaptation of the hit novel — had dropped out of the film series, and the studio would skip ahead to the fourth book, “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” to “reboot” the franchise instead with British screenwriter Steven Knight rather than move onto the second book, “The Girl Who Played With Fire.” Reports also said Daniel Craig and director David Fincher wouldn’t be back. With actresses salivating over the Salander role, Hollywood blog TheWrap then reported up-and-coming Vikander was Sony’s choice to take over.
But an insider told Page Six, “No one is officially attached to the new film except writer Steven Knight,” and, “For all parties [involved], Rooney is in position to continue the franchise — that is the truth.”
Word that Vikander would replace Mara came at the same time the actresses are front-runners in Oscars’ Best Supporting Actress category this year — Mara for “Carol” with Cate Blanchett and Vikander for “The Danish Girl” with Eddie Redmayne. Sources told us the competition — stirred up by the intense awards buzz and the “Dragon Tattoo” casting — had boiled over into bad blood between the actresses off-screen. “It’s gotten very competitive between Rooney and Alicia, and reached a boiling point,” said one.
But another insider scoffed, saying the two have never even met each other, and yet another said more bluntly of the idea, “This is a crock!”
Vikander’s shooting the latest “Bourne” movie with Matt Damon. Rooney’s wrapped Terrence Malick’s next film. Reps had no comment.
My guess is that Rooney very much has a contractual obligation to play Lisbeth, but that her contract could be terminated by the studio if they wanted to hire someone new and someone Swedish. Which is why this whole thing sounds so messy – Sony will have to get Rooney out of her contract and then hire this year’s It Girl, Vikander, and for what? To leap-frog chronological stories and try to reboot the franchise by using the one book that wasn’t really written by Stieg Larsson? My sincere hope is that they just don’t bother. That this franchise is done and no one else needs to try to play Lisbeth. As for the girlfight aspect of the story… eh. Both Rooney and Alicia probably will be up for Oscars this year, but if they are beefing, the beef is made out of nothingburgers. Seriously, these are two of the blandest women ever.
Oh, and both women have been name-checked in this year’s awards season shenanigans – both women were being pushed for Best Supporting Actress and the HFPA (Golden Globes) has said that both of their performances should be submitted for LEAD actress, not supporting.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Alicia is a horrid actress. She has no charisma, depth on film. I see this film failing miserable if she is playing Lisbeth.
Yep. Just saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and she added exactly zero charm or charisma to her role. Big ol’ bland.
On the other hand, I really like Rooney and think she did a great job in Dragon Tattoo. Sad that doesn’t seem to be a popular opinion around these parts…
well, Rooney was pretty bland and basic before she got her GWTDT makeover and adopted the Lisbeth look for her personal style, so I don’t really see Alicia’s current meh-ness preventing her from making an effective Lisbeth.
Loulou – I agree with you!! Rooney was amazing as Lisbeth, IMO
I was drinking the Rooney Sucks! Kool-aid until I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She blew me away. I still think she looks almost hilariously miserable in photos, but girl can act!
She kept interrupting Hammer and Cavill scenes.
There’s no way Rooney would just give up the Lisbeth role. She really wanted that sequel to happen. Supposedly she did a fantastic job as Lisbeth (didn’t watch, the book was sufficient) but there’s definitely a downside to hiring her for this kind of movie because Rooney is really bad at press, and it’s kind of important to help sell your movie. So I could see why the studio would want to go with a full clean slate. We’ll see how this shakes out, for a sequel no one’s asked for based on a 4th book no one liked.
She was wonderful as Lisbeth, in my opinion.
I didn’t watch the original Swedish versions until after I saw Daniel Craig not bother with a Swedish accent, and I thought both Noomi and Rooney were fantastic.
Casting Alicia instead would be a foolish move considering Rooney got her Oscar non from GWTDT.
I know Rooney doesn’t get much love here on CB, but I’ve got such a soft spot for her.
But that Oscar nomination didn’t result in a significant box office, and ultimately that’s what counts. That was a big budget movie and a sequel would likely have a decent price tag as well and Rooney is terrible at selling herself and her movie.
And I don’t think they should have had Swedish accents. Either speak Swedish or English, but English with a Swedish accent – what’s the point? To remind us that the actors are supposed to be speaking Swedish?
I love Rooney. And I also love Alicia. I don’t watch all their movies (some are bland), but when they are good, they are REALLY good.
I read the books, and saw the original, and then the new movie with rooney. I liked them all. I did not see the movie in theaters, because frankly, the first movie is really heavily about rape, violent, horrific rape. I couldn’t bring myself to sit in a theater with strangers and watch it and not be able to pause it to take a break if it was too much. I wonder how many other people didn’t go for that same reason. The movie was great, the subject matter was hard for mass appeal
Same, I like her a lot. She doesnt care about all the ‘hollywood’ drama and just gets on with her job. The books are brilliant, the Swedish films pretty decent and the English version wasnt bad either. I hope they do make the others with her, the other girl is just too wholesome to be Lizbeth, especially since all the books after the first revolve around her awful past.
@melodycalder: that is EXACTLY why I didn’t see the movie at all. I didn’t want to watch either Lisbeth’s horrifying rape or the whole serial murder/rape/torture mystery. No. Thanks.
Bassza
But she’s shown herself to care. A lot!. In actions revolving awards and Sony emails she comes off very desperate for that Hollywood drama, acceptance, and overall world.
“…both women were being pushed for Best Supporting Actress and the HFPA (Golden Globes) has said that both of their performances should be submitted for LEAD actress, not supporting”
Listen, the HFPA seems to be making the right call here, but then again they are allowing The Martian and Joy (and their lead/supporting actors) to compete in the Comedy or Musical category. What a joke (pun intended).
‘Joy’ just looks like a really dumb and pointless film. Just a vehicle for JLaw to be nominated all over again. zzzzz..
Wait, The Martian was a comedy? Forrest Gump was more of a comedy than The Martian!
Mara would have a sequel “option”, not contract. The studio can kick her to the curb without a second glance if they wish.
Oh and I highly doubt there is any fued. That smells of the usual tabloid woman versus woman template.
It’s also possible this is budgetary. Usually salary goes up for a sequel. They may want someone cheaper or it may be a way of saying to Mara she’s going to have to forgo a raise to keep the job. Don’t like it? We will cast the new, younger, Swedish actress. Brutal…but possibly clever.
I’ve only seen Vikander in two films, so judging by that, I’d say Rooney is a much better actress.
Contoversial opinion – I think she was a better Lisbeth than Rapace.
I agree with you. Controversial opinion and all. Rooney completely disappeared into that role both in the emotional and physical aspect. But the Swedish films had better pacing and atmosphere.
I agree with you and with a poster on the last thread about this that Rapace channeled the badass Lisbeth and Mara was a good blend of badass and vulnerable, which made her more of the standout. They were both great I thought, but Mara brought something else to the table with her performance that I think Lisbeth needed on-screen.
I agree with you. Rapace is an amazing actress but I actually felt that Mara disappeared into the role more. I found that Rapace brought Lisbeth across as kickass, vulnerable and misunderstood. Mara had all those things but gave off a very hostile vibe – she made Lisbeth feel very alien which I felt worked for the character.
Another controversial opinion…I prefer the US movie. Both films were perfectly competent but the US version just had more style and atmosphere.
They’re both utterly boring.
I would think that the studio would have her back if she agrees to certain salary or something, I mean she got an Oscar nom for the role so it would seem strange that the studio would just wish to get rid of her. But if they they try to keep the budget as low as possible they might want to hire a cheaper actress (I doubt Vikander being a Swede has anything to do with this).
On the flipside, they might be able to pull more of an audience (and therefore more $$) if they could advertise it with “Oscar-Nominated Mara” vs some no name who everyone seemingly agrees brings no spark to her performances. Not sure why some are referring to her as the current “It Girl,” I would think Mara has far more name recognition than Vikander.
So they think they will recap the money and “save” the franchise by hiring a “real” Swede, instead of I don’t know, not remaking a movie so quickly to the original that was successful? Are these bozos running Congress too? Call it a day you morons. Wait a few years, or admit defeat and let the original series stand on its own.
The Fincher version was amazing, it was just marketed terribly (opened at Christmas!) and costed more than it should have. And that’s all Fincher’s fault: he delivered a great movie, but wanted all the control over the marketing and it was a disaster. But the film, again, was great. Now how can they top Fincher, Mara, and Daniel Craig, they even had Robin Wright perfect cast as Erika Berger. How can they just throw away such an amazing talented cast? For what? To take chances with a cheaper director and a new starlet? That’s crazy, really, the execs have no idea.
Plus Julian Sands, even if he was only on screen for around a minute.
OMG.. I love Julian Sands. Ever since “A Room with a View”.. (and that just shows how old I am! 🙂
Plus that version of The Immigrant Song
That was AMAZING!
The Immigrant Song with the tag line “The Feel Bad Movie This Christmas”
Yes and lets not forget the amazing opening sequence, the animation was beautiful.
Rezner and Ross did an amazing job with the soundtrack which i thought was better than the Social Network (for which they did deserve the Oscar). They seem to be Fincher’s go to music duo.
Noomi Rapace – who is a fabulous actess – will forever be Lisbeth Salander for me. The original Swedish version with her was quite successful in my country (Austria) and all my friends were meh when the “Hollywood” version was released so soon afterwards. So at least for our market that could be one of the reasons why Fitcher’s film failed…
Rooney seems she let that role seep all the way into her pores and made the goth look/disposition permanent. She is a better actress IMO than AV and has the RBF to go with the role. Just doesn’t seem like she is someone you would want to have drinks with–and isn’t that the definition of a movie star? I doubt they want to put their $$ all in with someone you wouldn’t leave alone with your purse.
You nailed it with that description! It seems she is sort of stuck in goth mode. She comes across having a “meh” personality. I don’t find her interesting – very one note. She’s lucky she has to Rooney-Mara fortune to fall back on.
Agree.. I was speaking to this on the last thread about this, but Rooney adopted Lisbeth so much so that she said during the PR rounds on the red carpet/in interviews that it was hard letting go of the darkness that becoming Lisbeth required..that she felt she was becoming Lisbeth down to her core. It takes a special kind of actor to get down on that level.
You don’t have to live as a character “to your pore” to be a great actress. Most great actors didn’t live as their character. It’s a personal style preference. IMO, if you have to “live” as a character in order to perform well then you are more of an impersonator than anything. It’s really bizarre how Rooney changed EVERYTHING about her personal style to now be living as Lizbeth goth the remainder of her regular life.
To a larger point — the fact that there could reasonably be a “girl fight” over this role illustrates the lack of meaty roles for women in Hollywood. Because really — if not Lisbeth Salander, when is the next role coming that is this interesting and big?
I don’t get the big deal about Alicia Vikander. She’s thin and delicate and pretty, sure. But she’s not exactly the world’s best actress, imo. Am I missing something? I watched her in Testament to Youth, and I thought she was horribly boring and lifeless.
What?Vikander is terrific in Testament of Youth. I watched her in Ex Machina,Pure,Anna Karenina and A Royal Affair. She reflects a wide range of emotions through little else than her eyes. She’s an excellent actress IMO.
I agree. Don’t get the hype. Saw her in Royal Affair (good because of Mads Mikkelsen) and in U.N.C.L.E. – she was so bland in the latter, she drove me up the wall. Elisabeth Debicki basically stole every scene she was in. I don’t know, maybe HW executives love this type of meak, passive, big eyes, open mouth, girls with no charisma so they can mold them into whatever they want. NO idea why she’s supposedly this “supernova”. Mara at least is really talented even if she comes across as a real b**.
Vikander is a subtle actress. Mara is just insipid.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… Alicia Vikander is a bland, uninspired, minimally charismatic actress. Her PR team is pretty great to always have these b.s stories circulating on how she’s up for such and such part and about to “take over Hollywood”.
She expected to be a household name by now, as she said herself, but she certainly doesn’t have a major presence in the film industry.
Both the Swedish and US versions IMO were great. However I preferred the pace of the US version. Use Alicia by all means for a TV version as this will help her to be more ‘well known’ in the US. But if Mara is not used than Sony should be prepared for another BO flop. But the true is as someone said earlier does the public care for another story that was not penned by the original author.
Rooney Mara is a bland actress.Vikander is better IMO but no one asked for a remake.
Has anyone ever seen Rooney smile?
Yes. She has a great dimpled smile.
Only once: for a brief second in ‘The Social Network,’ before Jesse Eisenberg showed up and ruined her lovely dinner out with friends.
I really though Alicia Vikander was very good in Ex Machina and in a fair world it would reecieve oscar buzz . I also sae her in Man from uncle and she was delicate and pretty and servicable. But she really is not worth throwing out a contract with a star who was so dedicated to the role and excelled so much in it. There was some things not done right in the movie .. but Rooney Mara was not of them.
I refuse to watch the American version on principle, but if Rooney is as appalling in it as she is in everything else I’ve seen her in, literally anyone would be a better choice (though I do like Alicia).
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m also not impressed by Fincher. I’ve (accidentally) seen all of his other films, and the only ones I cared for were Seven and Fight Club. The rest were barely watchable.
Have you seen ‘House of Cards?’ Or ‘The Social Network?’ I think his writing style is strong, dialogue in particular. But I get it, he is either your taste or he’s not. Kind of like Woody Allen: you either hate him or love him.
How do you “accidentally” watch most of a director’s films?
Rooney is amazing in Dragon Tattoo. Maybe one day you’ll accidentally watch it.
For those who read Larsson’s trilogy, Rooney was wrong for Dragon Tattoo – too pretty & insufficiently hostile/suspicious. Rapace was far more androgynous & closer to the author’s depiction. If I hadn’t read the books & seen the Swedish flicks, I might have like Mara better. There was lots of pre-release chat about Mara being glued to Fincher’s hip during filming.
Vikander was good in Royal Affair, Fifth Estate & Anna Karenina. Rooney projects a very superior & entitled attitude off-camera which annoys me as I don’t find her to be “all that.” Don’t even remember her as Eisenberg’s g.f.
Another actress that I just don’t get is Mia Wasi-whatever. Maybe she works very cheap because I see no talent or charisma to justify hiring her for anything.
I don’t care about either actress. I am beyond annoyed that they even made the first American one . Why was that necessary when there were already great Swedish versions ? I don’t get it…
I agree.
yeah, right? And Noomi Rapace was killing it (no pun intended) in the OV.
LMAO @ Alicia’s and Rooney’s noms being rejected. Serves them right tbh.
Millenium was already enough.