It looks like “The Girl In The Spider’s Web” will give co-producers Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin a chance to make the Lisbeth Salander movie they wanted to do, before butting heads with David Fincher on “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” Almost every aspect of that movie, from the budget to the marketing, was a constant battle, but the friction arguably first started over the casting of Rooney Mara. Fincher fought hard for the actress and won (she was paid a pittance as a result, but Mara and Fincher were vindicated when was nominated for an Oscar for her turn), but Pascal and Rudin would’ve preferred someone from a lengthy roster of names big and small which included Sophie Lowe, Carey Mulligan, Mia Wasikowska, Sarah Snook, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Ellen Page, Mia Wasikowska, Keira Knightley, and Anne Hathaway. And they may just get to do that.
Variety reveals that Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are among the actresses in the pool being considered to play Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl In The Spider’s Web.” A global search is underway to find the lead for the film which will be directed by Fede Alvarez, but I would not be surprised if more names from their casting call more than six years ago start surfacing. But in case you’re wondering why Fincher turned down Johansson back in the day, he thought she was actually too attractive to play the hacker/journalist.
“We flew in people from New Zealand and Swaziland and all over the place,” David Fincher said in 2011 about the casting for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” “Look, we saw some amazing people. Scarlett Johansson was great. It was a great audition, I’m telling you. But the thing with Scarlett is, you can’t wait for her to take her clothes off.”
It’s worth remembering that with a budget of $30 million, no one will likely be getting a big payday here (which could ultimately rule out some of A-list names like Johansson and Portman). But then again, roles like this don’t come along very often. Let us know who you want to see as the new Lisbeth Salander. “The Girl In The Spider’s Web” opens on October 5, 2018.