The American version of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO has plenty of loyal followers and earned rave reviews and solid box office numbers, but instead of getting a direct sequel to the movie with stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, the roles have been recast for a new film. We know Claire Foy is set to take on the role as Lisbeth Salander (Mara’s old role), and now Sony has officially found the man to star alongside her in the upcoming adaptation.
The news comes from Variety that BORG/MCENROE star Sverrir Gudnason has been given the role of Mikael Blomquist in the upcoming GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB, the role which was originally played by Craig in the 2011 DRAGON TATTOO. Other members of the cast now include BLADE RUNNER 2049’s Sylvia Hoeks as Salander’s twin sister and THE SQUARE's Claes Bang as the baddie, and the movie is set to be directed by DON'T BREATHE director Fede Alvarez.
Many fans hoped Craig and Mara would return to their roles from the 2011 DRAGON TATTOO, but as the years went on that seemed less and less likely. Though director David Fincher tried to get sequels off the ground, Sony announced plans to move on from the original Millennium Trilogy, instead deciding to adapt SPIDER’S WEB. The book was written by David Lagercrantz, who took over the series from Stieg Larsson after he passed away, and the script was written by Steven Knight, along with Jay Basu and Alvarez. Production is set to begin next month and the movie is set for October 19, 2018.
Craig did a fine job with the role, and as much as like I would've like to see him return I wish all the luck in the world to Gudnason. This will be his most high-profile work yet, and though I have not seen BORG/MCENROE, I hear he's excellent as Bjorn Borg. I also like Foy as Salander and Alvarez behind the camera, so the trio has peaked my interest in this new entry in the series, and hopefully, it can step out of the shadow of TATTOO.
THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB is set for October 19, 2018.