While David Fincher is yet to find someone for the pivotal major role of Lisbeth Salander in his opcoming US remake of the late Stieg Larsson’s insanely popular book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, he’s already signed Daniel Craig for the lead role of investgative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.
Now it looks like he’s found a murder suspect, with Variety reporting that Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard in in talks to play Martin Vanger in the film. Dragon Tattoo sees disgrace, jail-bound journalist Blomkvist getting hired to look into a 40-year-old possible murder of a 16-year-old called, which takes him and damaged computer hacker Lisbeth Salander into the world of the dysfunctional, island-bound Vanger family. Martin Vanger is one of those suspected of the decades-old crime, even though he is now the powerful President of the Vanger Corporation.
Skarsgard, who’s currently shooting Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, told Variety that he’s had a concrete offer for the role and in now in negotiations. He also confirms that most of the movie will be shot in Stockholm, with some studio work done in the US.
In related news, Deadline is reporting that despite the fact they haven’t even started filming the US version of Dragon Tattoo yet, Sony is already in talks with that film’s screenwriter, Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List), to continue his work adapting Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, by writing a script based on the second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire. The studio is certainly thinking in terms of a franchise, and with the books’ popularity (they’ve sold over seven million copies in the US), along with a strong showing for the Swedish film adapataitons, they have good reason to suspect they could have a hit on their hadn. Sony is ensuring it can make all three films quickly if the first proves successful, including ensuring Daniel Craig and whoever takes to role of Lisbeth Salander are contracted for all three movies.