'Girl In The Spider's Web' Director Says Sony Wanted Rooney Mara To Come Back To The Franchise

One of the major studio films coming out this fall, and seems to be falling under the radar, is the latest adventure in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” franchise, “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.” The film, which is directed by Fede Alvarez, best known for his work on breakout horror hit “Don’t Breathe,” comes to theaters in November, but will notably feature a new actress leading the way — Claire Foy.

READ MORE: ‘The Girl In The Spider’s Web’ Trailer: Claire Foy Has The Dragon Tattoo

But it wasn’t always going to be Claire Foy, at least if the studio has its way. You see, Foy is coming into a franchise that has been dormant for a while, since David Fincher’s 2011 ‘Dragon Tatto,’ which famously starred Rooney Mara in the lead role with Daniel Craig. And since ‘Spider’s Web’ is a continuation of that franchise, Sony was thinking about bringing Mara back.

However, for Alvarez, that was a non-starter.

“There was a lot of debate — but not with me — mostly debate among the studio, if they [were] taking that route or not,” says Alvarez (via EW). “Eventually, I think it was me coming in, saying, I preferred to have my own cast. As a director, I just didn’t like the idea of taking someone else’s cast. As much as I admired Fincher as a filmmaker I think Rooney Mara is Fincher’s Lisbeth, right? And I wanted to find my own.”

And while you may think that no matter what Sony wanted, Mara, who has gone on to have a pretty incredible career in the ensuing half-decade, would have declined the invite, well you’re wrong. Back in 2017, the actress was asked that very same question by Yahoo, and she replied, “Different director, different author of the book. I would have loved to have done it, but I think it probably would have been a letdown in a way. It never would have matched the experience I already had.”

So, even though Mara was truly in the running for the role, it appears that Alvarez went the right direction and brought Foy on board to play Lisbeth Salander. Now, all that’s left is to show audiences and let them decide how the two actresses stack up.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” hits theaters on November 9.

Here’s a new picture from the film (courtesy of EW):

Girl in Spiders Web Claire Foy