The success of a film usually depends on how well-directed it was or how the cast members performed in it.
Directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillian, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is one of the few good examples in Hollywood where the tone of the film and the cast’s performances were given generally favourable reviews by critics.
However, it seems like none of the original cast members or filmmakers will be involved in its upcoming sequel.
According to TheWrap, Sony Pictures is interested to reboot the entire franchise and have Alicia Vikander replacing Rooney Mara. In fact, the studio won’t be adapting “The Girl Who Played With Fire”, the 2nd book in the series written by the late original author, Stieg Larsson.
Instead, they will skip a few books and jump ahead to adapt “The Girl In The Spider’s Web”, the 4th book which was written by David Lagercrantz.
The American version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a 2011 Swedish-American mystery thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson.
Starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, it tells the story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist’s investigation to find out what happened to a woman from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years prior. In order to search for the woman, he recruits the help of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
The film grossed USD232.6 million on a production budget of USD90 million. Not only was it included in the best-of lists in several publications, it was also nominated for numerous awards, ultimately winning 9 accolades including an Academy Award for “Best Film Editing”.
Sure, the film was a box office success, but co-financier MCM described it as “a modest loss” due to the cost of promotion. As such, the budget for the upcoming sequel is expected to be significantly lower than most of Fincher’s films.
Craig and Mara are busy with their respective projects too, so it’s not surprising that they won’t be returning to the franchise if Sony could not give them a pay raise from a low budget film.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Oscar-nominated screenwriter Steven Knight (of “Locke” fame) is in early talks to pen the script of “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”. Scott Rudin and former Sony chief Amy Pascal will produce it with Elizabeth Cantillon and Yellow Bird, a Swedish production company that produced the original Swedish movie starring Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth.
The high-profile casting process won’t be starting any time soon, but Vikander is being eyed to replace Mara as Rudin and Pascal are reportedly fans of the Swedish actress.
Vikander’s recent film credits include “The Man From U.N.C.L.E“, “The Danish Girl”, “Anna Karenina”, “Burnt”, “A Royal Affair”, and “Testament of Youth”. She will be seen next in “Tulip Fever” and the next Jason Bourne movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KBPru-Pu5Q
So, will you watch the sequel to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” that won’t be featuring the original cast members? Do you think Sony should just let the franchise die?
Sound off your thoughts in the comments box below.
