A pairing like Skarsgard and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo seems like it would be the easiest job for a casting director to make. Since director David Fincher is keeping true to the novel by incorporating the Swedish locations and, um, accents, it makes since to also use some of Sweden’s best thespians. Skarsgard is a recognizable star, having been in hit blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean and Mamma Mia!. And with Thor arriving next year, he’ll have a comic-book movie as part of his filmography.
Skarsgard told Variety that he has met with Fincher and that he wants to work with him and vice versa. Are we to believe that Skarsgard will have the most extraordinary on-screen transformation we’ve ever seen, beating out the likes of Ellen Page so that he can play the bisexual computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Probably not. But it would have most assuredly been fodder for water-cooler conversations.
No, it looks like Skarsgard will play Martin Vanger, the president of the Vanger Corporation. I can see that, I could also envision him as Lisbeth’s guardian, Nils Bjurman.
Skarsgard is the second actor named to star in the film, after the announcement of Daniel Craig at the end of July.
As far as other Swedish actors that could be considered for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Max Von Sydow would be spot-on casting for Henrik Vanger. I wonder if there are roles for Peter Stormare, Bo Svenson, or (gulp) Dolph Lundgren?
Sony Pictures will release The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on December 21, 2011.
