Deadline is reporting that Daniel Craig is in talks to star in David Fincher’s American adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While no official offers have been made, word was that Brad Pitt was waiting to read the first draft of the script before going forward with the project; but now it looks like Craig has jumped in line for the lead role of disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist. With the battle for MGM leaving the Bond series in limbo for the time being, this is a very believable move by Craig, who would be signing on for Larsson’s entire Millennium trilogy.
The Pulse: As a huge fan of the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that was released earlier this year, I’ve been one of the many who speaks against an Americanized version of an already perfect film. I will, however, say that the involvement of Daniel Craig in the project immediately ups the film’s credibility, and odds that, even if unnecessary, the film will be done right. I think Craig is a perfect fit for the role of Blomkvist, and even has a similar stature to Michael Nyqvist, who played the Swedish role. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, while a great actor, just doesn’t suit the part in my eyes.
At this point, there’s no point in condemning remakes, as they’re almost always bound to happen in these instances. Even in my review of the film, I stated that a great deal of people in North America wouldn’t see the film until it was remade in English, and it seems like all the studios know this as well, with recent foreign films such as Let the Right One In getting speedy American facelifts while still in their infancy. I will say that nabbing Fincher as the director, and being in talks with Craig are the right moves; and with the right female lead this may be one remake that can share the spotlight with its foreign sibling.
What do you guys think? Is Craig the right direction for the film? Would Brad Pitt be a better choice? Do you agree that since you can’t fight the fact that remakes will be made, we might as well hope they’re done right?
