Rooney Mara to star as Lisbeth Salander in U.S. film version of 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

Rooney Mara will join Daniel Craig in Columbia Pictures' adaptation of Stieg Larsson's megaselling book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. She takes on the highly sought role of the alienated young computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander.

Mara's film credits include Dare (2009), The Winning Season (2009), Tanner Hall (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). She will soon be seen in The Social Network, a film about the founding of Facebook that will be released October 1, 2010.

David Fincher, who directed Mara in The Social Network, will also direct The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In casting the role of Lisbeth Salander, Finch was primarily concerned with finding an actress who fit the physical description and age of Larsson's character, reveals Deadline.com. Other young actresses who tested for the role include Sophie Lowe, Sarah Snook and Lea Seydoux.

An August 16, 2010 press release issued by Columbia Pictures quoted Michiko Kakutani, of The New York Times, on Larsson's characterization of Lisbeth Salander, the role Rooney will play: "Lisbeth Salander, Stieg Larsson's fierce pixie of a heroine, is one of the most original characters in a thriller to come along in a while – a gamin, Audrey Hepburn look-alike but with tattoos and piercings, the take-no-prisoners attitude of Lara Croft and the cool, unsentimental intellect of Mr. Spock. She is the vulnerable victim turned vigilante; a willfully antisocial girl . . . who has proved herself to be as incandescently proficient as any video game warrior."

Deadline.com also reports that actress Robin Wright is a top contender for the role of Erika Berger, Millennium magazine's publisher and journalist Mikael Blomkvist's long time lover. James Bond film star Daniel Craig will play Blomkvist, a choice previously announced on July 26, 2010.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will be released December 21, 2011. This film is the first of three to be based on Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, with The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest to follow.

For more information:
February 2011 ’W Magazine’ cover shows Rooney Mara in Lisbeth Salander role
'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' leads list of May 2010 releases
Daniel Craig to portray Mikael Blomkvist in U. S. film version of The Girl With the Dragon Tatto
Noomi Rapace, ’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’ takes on female lead in ’Sherlock Holmes’ sequelChristopher Plummer, Stephen Fry, Jared Harris join casts of top films for 2011