It’s become the most coveted role in recent memory – Lisbeth Salander, the badass heroine of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series now being, ugh, adapted for the screen in America ... because people won’t read subtitles. David Fincher’s heading up the remake and Daniel Craig was just confirmed this week at Mikael Blomkvist. I’m not opposed to Craig. Besides, it’s Lisbeth that is most critical.

Remember when it was supposedly slamdunk that Carey Mulligan had secured the role?

Please. Be careful the source. It was never confirmed and it’s still not confirmed but what we do know now is that Carey has been eliminated from contention and Natalie Portman too. According to Entertainment Weekly Fincher supposedly offered Portman the part...and she turned him down.

He was also pursuing South African musician Yo-Landi Vi$$er, lead singer of the band Die Antwoord but – and I love this – she doesn’t give a sh-t about acting. Which means of course now I wish she was playing Lisbeth. Look at this girl. See below Yo-Landi at Coachella. With black hair and more tats and piercings? Yeah, I could live with that. But she couldn’t live with that.

So now we’re down to four.

Four girls you’ve never heard of.

GOOD.

The Daily Beast reported last night that Fincher auditioned 4 actresses on Thursday, largely unknown names (Sophie Lowe, Sarah Snook, Rooney Mara, and Lea Seydoux) and will likely make a decision within the next 2 weeks. He has however apparently asked Ellen Page to stand by, to keep working on her Swedish accent, clearly not totally invested in one winning candidate quite yet.

But he doesn’t have long. The US version of Dragon Tattoo hits theatres December 2011. They need to start shooting in a month. And it will be a script that’s based in Sweden, because there has never been a movie called The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo that’s based in Sweden. Or a sequel, or a sequel to that sequel either.

Ok that’s it. I’ll stop bitching about this. I’m done. The fact that Fincher is taking his time, is pushing back on the studio to cast someone we already know, to find the right Lisbeth, to really make sure she’s the one... this is a good sign. I guess.

PS. Many of you have written to ask about my thoughts on Ellen Page, all the potential “names” that have been put out there as possibilities. It’s the same with Lisbeth as it is with Katniss Everdeen. I don’t want to KNOW her. I don’t want to have ever seen her before. I want Lisbeth to be a discovery. Much as I like Ellen, Ellen is not new. And neither is Kristen Stewart. That’s the last thing Lisbeth needs. To have those loser Twilight fans all over her tip before she even begins her American reinvention.


Photos from Michael Tullberg/Gettyimages.com