'Dragon Tattoo' casting raises questions -
Will violent, sexy actioner click with U.S. audiences?
By Tatiama Siegel in Variety

Left - Rooney Mara

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of Rooney Mara, the 25-year-old American thesp who won the title role in Columbia Pictures' "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

It's a big commitment: The casting covers a trio of high-profile pictures. In addition, readers of the three books -- published in 44 countries and selling more than 40 million copies worldwide to date -- have a clear picture of the iconic savant hacker Lisbeth Salander.

Sony won't comment on the budget for the pics, but it appears that the studio, director David Fincher and producer Scott Rudin aren't thinking cheap. According to insiders, scribe Steve Zaillian's deal for the second pic is said to be record-breaking.

After a long search, Columbia wasn't convinced Mara was perfect casting, but Fincher prevailed in a debate that was waged through this weekend. Fincher, who directed her in the studio's upcoming "The Social Network," convinced the top execs. (Mara also appeared in this year's "A Nightmare on Elm Street.")

The Stieg Larsson trilogy also includes "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest." While the books' runaway success would seem to create a slamdunk for the studio -- witness the success of the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" book-to-film adaptations -- there are also hot books that haven't translated to B.O. (Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," the biggest bestseller of 2002, couldn't find much traction with moviegoers last year, even with Peter Jackson directing.)

Another hurdle for the studio is the success of the trio of Swedish-language film adaptations. That trio has grossed $202.9 million worldwide so far. After the other two bowed in the U.S. this year, "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" launches Oct. 15. Since overseas B.O. accounts for the majority of a film's B.O., the worldwide tallies are all-important, but there's little precedent for anticipating reaction to English-language remakes.

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