6 Ways for Hollywood to get Salander right
Swedish wonder-actress Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander (as if you didn’t know already!) 
The US remake of Millennium is set for December 2011 premiere with David 7 Fincher.
But … is it then ‘our best nightmare come true’ as one of my Facebook-friends put it? We shall see.
In any case, I really want to share some thoughts with you about this, as I have been very much in two minds about whether or not a US remake would be a good thing. (What’s next: Salander-action figures??)
Now, I want you to know that I’m not per se against Hollywood remakes. Or remakes of any kind for that matter. Some times remakes can be better than the original. But in the case of Hollywood remakes of European movies, they can sometimes go excruciatingly wrong! Witness for example the horrible US adaptation of the Danish horror-flick sensation Nattevagten … also known as Nightwatch! Or what about Bridget Fonda desperately trying to be Anne Parillaud in Codename: Nina – the US version of Luc Besson’s unforgettable Nikita?
[Shivers]
Anyway, what would it take to actually make a succesful movie remake of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series?
Well, we have the ‘good fortune’ that the original Swedish movie adaptations of Fire and Hornet aren’t actually that good, in my heretic opinion, because the were copy-pasted together in all haste from a planned TV-series twice the length in order to make more bucks. So the competition is not necessarily as hard as with that Luc Besson-remake.
Of course, the goal for Sony would also be to cash in on the Stieg Larsson phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean they’ll go for a hopelessly cheap and toe-cringingly shoddy version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Because the company Sony Pictures alone probably has more money to invest in second-tier movie projects like Millennium than the whole Swedish and Danish movie industry have – put together. A Lot More Money. So they can buy the talent they need to make it good. It is just a question of will.
But what exactly would ‘good’ mean?
Well, I’m sure there’ll be as many opinions about that as there are Stieg Larsson-fans out there, but here are my propositions:
1) Casting must be top priority – as always
Director Niels Arden Oplev made two brilliant choices for Tattoo: Nyqvist and Rapace. No more, no less. Nyqvist IS Mikael Blomkvist and Noomi IS Lisbeth Salander! It goes beyond saying that casting is essential for success. Especially Salander must be someone who possesses the rare combination of being able to look tough, ugly, beautiful, vulnerable and dangerous – all at the same time.
2) Character development is crucial
Lisbeth Salander is not just a poor Scandinavian replica of Ripley from Aliens+ some sword-schtick from Kill Bill!! She is a deeply traumatised young woman, who at the same time has unique skills, unflinching courage in the face of danger and an introvert personality to boot. She needs to learn to trust other people again and open up, but not too fast. She needs to go beyond her limitations in all respects.
Blomkvist on the other hand needs to be sufficiently heroic from the outset, but during the trials and tribulations to learn his own limitations better, and learn to trust the Swedish court, police and political system.
The character development was the weakest point of Fire and Hornet (the movies) and Mr. Director from Sony had better get that right, or we’ll end up with another empty action movie with somewhat-kewl-but-ultimately-soulless characters.
3) The heart of the Millennium story is social critique
Stieg Larsson was engaged in the Swedish communist party in his youth and actively committed to fighting right wing extremism, excesses of capitalism, corruption in business-life and political abuse of power; and – of course – abuse of women. These issues are usually not those at the forefront of Hollywood movies for a broad audience, and when they are the movies tend to become so wild and unbelieavable that you don’t really get the feeling they have any relation to real life.
So: Sony needs to look at what George Clooney – (just to give one example )- has done in terms of making good, realistic political thrillers and then spice this recipe up with some more action and spirit. But not so much that it overshadows the underlying themes about social critique!!
The John Grisham movie adaptations could also point the way in this regard, but only because Grisham understands the importance of building court room dramas around social injustices and ‘David vs. Goliath’-story-telling.
4) Tight storytelling is a must
Larsson’s weaknesses was piling up one irrelevant sub-plot after another and not really tying everything together at the end. This is especially true for Erika Berger’s ‘detour’ as editor of major Swedish newspaper in Hornet. One of the things director Daniel Alfredsson actually got right in adapting Fire and Hornet were to cull the irrelevant subplots. Keep it that way, but don’t keep it tighter than that!
5) Millennium is ugly – most of the time - not Hollyw-eautiful!
Millennium takes place in Stockholm, a lot of the time. Although we don’t hear much about it in the books, the films go some way in order to display the depressing atmosphere of the city. Also the great, empty, bleak and dangerous forests are the real ‘star’ of much of Tattoo and should not be forgotten. Set the movies in a lesser known US city (in Hollywood terms) and have a lot of the action take place near or in desolate, wide forests. Seattle near the Canadian border might just fit this bill.
6) Tie themes together – don’t split them apart
One of the true strengths of Millennium was Larsson’s ability to tie together themes (notwithstanding those aforementioned detours). In Tattoo it is most prominent: The Vanger family, Larsson strongly suggests, is a dysfunctional family that breeds fascists and murderers of women, because they have sold their souls to the purpose of making more and more money and building this huge financial empire. Disrespect for women – for the ‘gentler values’ to be somewhat trite – can be likened to disrespect for life in general.
And men’s lust for power and control results in abuse, not just of money and political power, but also of women. Martin Vanger embodies this mindset, so does Peter Teleborian, Alexander Zalachenko and many other Larsson villains who simultaenously abuse power, money and women. Make sure this parallel is clear, and that the different elements – power, money and women abuse – of the story are mutually reinforcing. Make sure that we understand, without being spoon-fed the message, that Lisbeth embodies all the female victims of the world, and at the same time their potential strength to recover and be free. Same for Mikael Blomkvist who, although not without flaws, embodies the best a real man has to offer: Respect for women.
So … there. My two cents for now.
But of course I have to ask:
What are your thoughts on Michael Bloom-quist and Elizabeth Saylanderr? (Or whatever they are gonna call them )
*
Related stuff you might like:
Millennium Movie Trailers
Movie Rant: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Movie Rant: The Girl Who Played With Fire
Movie Rant: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest
Categories: Movies, News
67 Comments » (Including 17 Discussion Threads)
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December 18th, 2009 at 1:39 AM
This is a very good start in discussions involving how Millennium would be treated by the Hacks of Hollywood. Frankly there is only one director I believe who could preserve the atmosphere and make it a success. That man would be Clint Eastwood. His adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River will be a classic. If you have not read this book or seen the movie, you are in for a treat. Read the book first and you will see how faithful Eastwood’s film is. The same can not be said for Ben Affleck’s adaptation of another Lehane thriller. Gone, Baby, Gone.
Next, it would be a tragedy to set the movies anywhere but Sweden. The cold and desolate coast and island where much of the action takes place should not be discarded.
Finally, for now, rather than try to cram this book or any of them for that matter, it would better to have either Showtime or HBO do a miniseries adaptation. This way more of the original story would be saved. HBO’s True Blood and Showtime’s Dexter are two prime examples of how good television could be given the proper attitude of the director and producer. And Millennium would be a good umbrella title for the series. It would also allow further story lines after the three original ones we are left with.
Those are my comments. What are your thoughts?
December 18th, 2009 at 6:39 AM
I agree totally, Rich! Clint is actually one of my favourite – if not THE favourite – director(s) of all time! I thought his Mystic River was excellent, too. Gone Baby also was a very powerful movie, but a bit more ‘choppy’ in the execution. (Affleck has potential, though.) Haven’t read any of the novels, but I think I should.
It would probably be very difficult to convince the Big Movie establishment to make a US remake any other location but North America. That is kind of the purpose of US remakes, isn’t it?
But I agree with you on this on as well: It will definitely take something irreplaceable away from the movie to movie it away from Sweden. Fortunately, if the 6 Ways are respected (hey, Hollywood – why don’t you hire me as a consultant?! 
) then the movies could still be true to the spirit of the original movies – and books.
And you know … I think that Larsson would’ve wished that his work got out to a broader audience and would’ve been prepared to make the necessary sacrifices (with some limitations). Not as much as his estate, presumably … but still. The Larsson who fell to the floor of Expo’s offices, so tragically – as sudden death almost always is, he was a more ’rounded man’ than the youth who went to Eritrea in 1977 or something to teach marxist rebels how to use hand grenades.
A show would also, IMO, be the optimal solution for getting the most optimal adaptation of the books. Fire and Hornet, as I’ve ranted about elsewhere, suffered particularly in during their adaptations to the big screen – mainly because they were never meant for it. That being said, I think we can’t avoid Big Movies making, erhm, big movies when they finally get the deal sealed. But maybe their nose for money will also lead them to consider a US television show?
Finally, could such a series spawn sequels which take place after Hornet? Wow, what a thought … but would a corporate-driven sequal to an essentially anti-corporate story be any good. I think you’ve just pitched me a whole new topic for an article.
One more for the ever-growing list …
December 23rd, 2009 at 4:15 AM
First-time visitor to this site, congratulations Chris and many thanks for the great job!
I’m still browsing through all the materials you posted, and so far I have really enjoyed your movie reviews (although I haven’t seen the third movie yet – hasn’t been released here yet).
I’m particularly intrigued by this conversation, as my initial reaction to the news of an Hollywood remake was of pure, undisguised horror
The whole Millennium trilogy has such a distinct Northern European flavor to me, that it seemed almost blaspheme to imagine it redone under La-La land auspices.
But then, after reading your “6 ways” and Rich’s post, I softened my position: maybe… if the movie were set somewhere in the remote Mid-West or in Canada; and maybe… if the film director were independent or at least out of the mainstream blockbusters. Eastwood is great but a tad too stiff and structured for such an unconventional and multifaceted story, IMHO; Gus Van Sant would be a much better option, he did a terrific job in “My Own Private Idaho”; Steven Soderbergh would be another excellent choice, although that would mean almost doubtlessly to have George Clooney as the leading man.
, but he tends to draw too much attention on his own character. I would prefer David Duchovny to play Blomkvist; he could play only too well the role of an attractive, charismatic but single and single-minded, paranoid journalist who buries himself into an investigation – after all he played pretty much the same part in the X Files for many years (not to mention that the Salander-Blomkvist (non)relationship displays a very similar dynamic to the Mulder-Scully one).
Nothing against Clooney, he’s an excellent actor (when he doesn’t do comedies
What I (politely:) disagree with you Chris, is point number 4. Tight storytelling feels arid and contrived sometimes. Those perfect bestsellers written by Dan Brown and John Grisham are so flawless in the their plot that to me they appear computer-made and artificial, just like their main characters, so boringly perfect one forgets about them the moment you finish the book. That didn’t happen with Sally and Micke also because of those apparently useless subplots, seemingly pointless narratives, dead branches of a tree that instead planted his roots deep into our memory. I think that both the minor characters, who then disappeared without a trace, and the multiple digressions, from Erika’s detour to the list of Lisbeth’s Ikea furniture, were meant to be there for a purpose, to be like mirrors that reflect the main characters’ different images, nuances and circumstances. And as a rhetorical device it worked pretty well, at least on me: Larsson trilogy feels like a kaleidoscope.
Thanks for listening and keep up with the great work!
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Hi Ishmael,
Tnx so much for the great, long, thoughtful comment. I am not so much in disagreement with you on the ‘tangle of subplots’ as you may think. I am working as a freelance journalist (occassionally), have an academic degree in communications and is generally ‘damaged’ from many years of hobby-writing for role-playing and for some minor novellas for Danish science fiction fanzines, so …
I probably tend to think more on the need for ‘tight storytelling’ as a must, without further reflection. (Not in the least because it’s something I’ve been struggling to learn myself!) And I would say that because of the obvious time constrictions you do have to focus in a movie, whereas in the books the problem isn’t so big.
Your argument, therefore, does resonate with me, and I did enjoy the books immensely regardless of Larsson’s ‘digressions’. I hope my blunt comments about his never-ending subplots haven’t given you any other ideas about my enjoyment and respect for Larsson’s work in general. (But probably not, otherwise – why would I spend so much of my spare time on this site!
)
Making lists of anything from furniture to encyclopedic details is actually a ‘writer’s tool’, I believe the correct English term would be, and a tool which – as any other tool – can be used in different ways, and with different degrees of success (depending on who’s reading). Danish author Peter Høgh (Smilla’s Sense of Snow), who now seems to have disappeared effectively into writer’s oblivion
, also tended to make these lists. But for him it felt like a part of his general style and his way to ‘strike a mood’ to emphasise themes or character personalities. With Larsson I just feel distracted, although – and as said – not in a way that seriously damages my reading experience.
All in all I would like to emphasise that to me Larsson’s writing qualities by far outweighs his weaknesses (which again – as you rightly point out – are subject to interpretation). Who knows who much ‘better’ the books would have been with a little more editing? Well, it doesn’t really matter. The books are GREAT even if especially Fire and Hornet, IMHO, suffer a bit from excessive subplotting
January 14th, 2010 at 12:34 AM
I agree with Rich’s post on the point that this material would make a fine HBO miniseries adaptation. Secondly, I also agree that the setting has to be true to the book. The cold, the clouds, the trains, the cabins.. all very Nordic right?
With regard to the tightness of the storytelling I think it should be true to the tightness of Salander’s methodical thinking, careful analysis and meticulously crafted actions. However sometimes this requires a bit of wandering to really allow the viewer a good perspective. So I feel there would be need for some flashbacks to illustrate her suffering. This can fall into the category of loose storytelling sometimes if it drags on can’t it? So there does need to be some balance. I really liked the directing of “The Lives of Others” in the storytelling regard. This was a German movie about the Stasi.
January 14th, 2010 at 4:04 PM
Ah, you saw that German movie, too! It’s super-brilliant, isn’t it? Well, that aside … I must say that I’m really focused right now on the Swedish TV-series, but I still have no idea where on when it’s coming out. However, you can be quite sure that once it’s there there’ll be a thorough review (read: rant) here on sallys – as well as my own suggestions for how they could adapt it further to US audiences, without slaughtering everything in the name of Big Money. (So … we can hope that Sony movie production executives also read sallysfriends.net, because they are such big Salander-fans!
)
January 27th, 2010 at 8:48 PM
Please, please, PLEASE!!! Don’t let Tom Hanks anywhere near this film!
My choice would be for Nathan Fillion & Summer Glau for the roles of Mikael and Lisbeth.
(can you tell I’m a huge Serenity/Firefly fan?)
January 27th, 2010 at 8:59 PM
Hey – I like Serenity, too! Hmm … and yeah … you just might be right. I think Nathan Fillion would be quite right for the part of Blomkvist. (Can’t remember what Summer Glau plays – care to help me out?). As for Tom Hanks – I really love the man as an actor, but I agree that he wouldn’t belong anywhere in this pic. No way!
January 28th, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Summer Glau plays the part of River Tam, the little wisp of a girl who can also kick bad-guy butt!
She has also played a Terminator in The Sara Connor Chronicles.
Of course, she would have to be “punked-up” a bit by the makeup department…
January 28th, 2010 at 5:40 PM
Okay, that Summer!
Yeah, she might do, but her, ahm, curves might be too, ahm, womanly for someone portraying tomboy Lisbeth Salander …
January 28th, 2010 at 8:34 PM
LOL =))
Maybe.. But don’t forget her little trip to Genoa.
April 4th, 2010 at 7:39 PM
In an interview Noomi herself mentioned that she liked the idea of Evan Rachel Wood or Ellen Page for the role of Salander. However, don’t know anything about them myself:)
Even though i think most of us can’t get enough of seing Rapace as Salander, i’m really happy that she’s denied the posibility of starring as Lisbeth in the Hollywood remake. As she said – “I’ve done my Lisbeth.. and i don’t like to repeat myself”.
A lot of actors/actresses could learn from that.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:10 AM
Amen to that!!
April 6th, 2010 at 8:07 PM
you guys wanna see the the movies in tvserie version?, each episode is in 90 minutes and based on the featurefilms, and its 6 episodes. its of course in our native tongue and no subs but for a true fan of these movies there shoudnt be any problems for you, Anyway here is the url: http://svtplay.se/t/128376/millennium
April 7th, 2010 at 7:51 AM
That’s nice – if only there wasn’t a ‘due to legal restrictions … cannot be viewed … in your country-yadayada’ screen when accessing the page outside Sweden …
But I’m sure no one would dream of copying this stream and put it on a filesharing service!
(Suggesting illegal filesharing? Me?? Could never dream of it … ! I just emphasised my faith in people’s morals!
)
May 1st, 2010 at 2:48 PM
Have you heard..?! Brad Pitt for Mikael Blomkvist…?! Don´t know what to say or think.. :-/
May 4th, 2010 at 1:39 PM
If you’re looking for an English speaking actress to play the part of Salander I would have though that Summer Glau would be a good choice…I had heard a rumour that Carey Mulligan was in the running for the part but I can’t see her pulling it of myself. Natalie Portman or Olga Kurilyenko (from the Hitman and a Quantumof Solice) could be other possiblities. As for Blomqvist what about Russle Crowe or Ewan McGregor.
The biggest problem has to be that whatever happens the films are never going to have the depth of the books and in that respect are bound to be disaappointing
May 5th, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Oh, damn SVT’s restrictions! That’s not fair… Today Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat had an article about the Millenium-tours in Stockholm. The link is: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/matkailu/uutinen.asp?id=2127266
The writer says that in Finland MTV3 will be airing tv-series “later this year”. Can’t wait! I’ll try to find some more info…
It’s also said that they’ll be filming remake in Canada…?
May 5th, 2010 at 8:45 PM
According to Dragontattoo.com and Examiner.com David Fincher is currently in Sweden checking out the places. There will be Swedish crew, that is great news. Here is Examiner’s link:
http://ww.examiner.com/x-16042-SF-Film-Industry-Examiner~y2010m5d5-David-Fincher-to-Direct-Remake-of-Girl-with-the-Dragon-Tattoo
I hope Fincher will say something more about the casting soon. *Please not Brad or George, please…*
May 5th, 2010 at 9:57 PM
It doesn’t matter where it’s filmed, come to think of it. What makes Millennium unique is not its distinctively Swedish-ness in setting, etc. It’s Blomkvist and Salander’s characters, their interaction, and the particular blend of action, drama and political/social themes. If Finch doesn’t get that right, but focuses on all the bells and whistles and how many axes can Lis Salander swing at once to chop of her dad’s head, then the movie is gonna fall so hard.
In other words, Dave, read sallys and do what we tell you and you can’t get it all wrong
May 8th, 2010 at 3:53 PM
This is a great site for Millenium info, I too shudder how the casting might go for the Hollywood remakes..
Natalie Portman might be a go as Lisbeth, or some have mentioned Katie Jarvis from Fishtank but does she have the acting chops…I am from Canada and we are eagerly awaiting the second and third films to hit our theatres….I wish this series could go on forever…Long may Lisabeth Salander kick ass!
May 8th, 2010 at 7:46 PM
I agree it doesn’t matter where it’s filmed but it’s good that the crew isn’t all-Hollywood. *Though Hollywood is great* Yep, Mr. Fincher can’t go wrong – if he remembers to visit sallysfriends.net frequently.
I had so much fun thinking about the all stars Hollywood-cast for the film. Just posted it on my blog. If someone is interested, just click my nick, you’re welcome to check it out. I’m not familiar with Summer Glau so I had to choose Katherine Moennig (Shane/L-Word). Dark, sexy but kinda androgyne – who can play tough.
@Ed: Natalie Portman is sweet but has she ever played a rough part? I like Kurilyenko better. Russell Crowe is a little bit older which would be a good thing but… not hot. Ewan McGregor is cute, he has more boyish charm.
Mikael Blomkvist was a hard choice for me because I adore Michael Nyqvist. I picture Blomkvist as an older guy who is intelligent with a great charm, but definetely not some painfully handsome Brad Pitt -type. Or sleek George Clooney -type. So I’d say Kevin Bacon…
May 9th, 2010 at 2:08 AM
of course the locations for the films are important…..they’d look really stupid shot in in say London or New York. the films have to be shot in the Baltic states at the very least and preferrably Sweden. on the subject of male leads…..here’s one for you all to consider…..Vigo Mortensen
May 9th, 2010 at 9:26 AM
I’d say Viggo damn near fits the bill! He’s got some indefinable ‘realness’ + heart and charisma that neither Clooney nor Pitt can match for this particular role.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:49 PM
I was watching American Gangster the other night and many times i couldn’t help but thinking about blomkvist when i saw crowe in his role in this particular movie.. i think he displayed some of the same passion, coolness, humor, toughness yet sensitivity etc.
Uh, I like the idea of kath moenning for salander.. She has that bit of trashy, punk, worn-out but attractive look on her. And her figure is very boyish. But how bout her acting skills?
I could also picture myself Ellen Page in the role. She might not have the same roughness in advance as someone like moenning, but i think she has that tomboy, ugly-but-pretty-look potential as well, and furthermore she’s small. And what goes for the acting i must credit her for Hard Candy.
Must also remember that rapace herself had to do some hard work and sacrifices to obtain the right look:) (And thank you for that rapace!)
May 10th, 2010 at 9:29 PM
@ trinity: I believe Moennig can act – her character is so cool that it’s hard to be objective!
True: all the actors go trough “change” for a role. If an actress is good enough, she will succeed – like Rapace wonderfully did. And yes, I vote for Viggo, too. Viggo Mortensen would be an excellent choice.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:58 PM
thanks for your reply on Moennig – without an ‘n’ – sorry;) i’ve only seen her in a few episodes of l-word, so i don’t know that much about her. But if she’s strong enough to carry the part, i’d just say – go for it:) i also like the fact that she’s not super integrated hollywood material so to speak. Generally, I’d prefer if most of the actors in the remake weren’t too hollywoodish..
May 10th, 2010 at 10:01 PM
a third ‘n’ that is
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:20 AM
Absolutely Viggo Mortensen. Did you all know that Viggo owns his own printing firm as well? Perceval Press – a news-source as well as publisher of off-the-beaten-path writings. He was made for the role of Mikael Blomkvist.
May 25th, 2010 at 7:16 PM
Yes to Viggo Mortensen, but Salander is somehow difficult to cast in hollywood. Why not give a chance to Winona Ryder ? (i know its difficult to imagine, but maybe she was never given the chance of a role that wasn’t sweet pretty petite winona)
May 25th, 2010 at 7:56 PM
and Eva Green?
June 5th, 2010 at 11:20 PM
love reading your info/links/views,visuals are great,
“6 Ways for Hollywood to get Salander right”
wow,wanted your views on remake,
i dont believe we,the US have the talent,
unless they can get Noomi Rapace,
June 6th, 2010 at 2:14 AM
Glad you guys liked the idea of Viggo……Winona has certainly played some eccentic characters….Scissorhands and Beetlejuice spring to mind……you could be onto something there
June 6th, 2010 at 2:16 AM
after seeing the movies,reading your articles,not yet read books,
yes,i agree with you the movies are about so much more than
just the horrendous abuse of Lisbeth,also has been universal
theme for men to make out victims of abuse as ‘crazy’,
i start thinking of how US handles abuse of women,
(from the news)
–rape kits get backlogged if ever processed,
–women have been asked to pay the cost,thousands,
to get their rape kit processed,
–the US has women’s shelters for victims of abuse,
that are kept secret,so the victims can hide out,
–pregnant women still at hi-risk to be killed,
–women still fighting to get equal pay,
it does seem so fitting that one of main characters is a journalist,
i saw a movie where the woman was brutally attacked/man attempting to rape,
lots of witnesses,woman had serious injuries,
yet she was hanged for killing the man in the struggle,
i was so shocked! that she did not have the “rights” to defend herself,
Lisbeth has been living all her life without any rights that i can see,
she’s making money/working but has no ‘right’ to the money,
male or female,males are victims of sexual abuse as well,
the lack of human rights,lack of legal recourse,lack of help,
living in ‘no options’ world,yet she still found options,
she is still standing,triumph of the human spirit to persevere,
i had been thinking she would never get her day in court,
Lisbeth having human rights for the first time in her life,
would book 4 have explored this?
please forgive my ignorance of not having read the books yet,
mostly im just commenting on the movies,
thank you for this site,
thank you for letting me comment,
quiz
June 6th, 2010 at 3:29 AM
sorry,but weren’t the movies also about the power of the press,
regardless of how the powerful/rich/or governments try to manipulate,
oppress,cover-up the truth,facts,etc
both characters-themes of oppression by rich/powerful,
since they were also trying to destroy the journalist,
journalist was also in jeopardy of losing human rights,
in my lifetime there has never been such a backlash
against the rich/powerful in US as has been now,
so if the remake includes the abuse of money/power,
americans will be ready to relate to even more so,
thanks,happy to find Noomi Rapace on youtube, q
June 7th, 2010 at 9:58 AM
Thank you so much for your long and thoughtful comments! (All of them!). Forgive me, but I think I just “ignored” a friend request from you on YouTube, by accident. Please send it again and I will IMMEDIATELY rectify that. Pleace stick around q and do keep sharing your thoughts with us.
Chris
June 9th, 2010 at 8:07 PM
True: trilogy’s themes are universal and very important. People around the world can relate.
What do you guys think about The Wrap’s Daniel Craig news? I sure hope they will cast Craig as Blomkvist! There is a tiny chance that David Fincher read my blog… LOL. I did mention Kevin Bacon and Daniel Craig on “My Millenium cast” post in the beginning of May
I like Daniel Craig a lot. Great news – though still unconfirmed.
June 9th, 2010 at 8:11 PM
Well, Dave and I have a regular correspondance now … he said that he didn’t wanna do the US version without *authoritative* input from the fans! (LOL)
June 18th, 2010 at 2:46 AM
Seriously, why not just have Noomi Rapace reprise her role in the US version? She speaks English rather well. I just cannot imagine ANYONE playing that role but her. No American actress can even come close IMHO.
July 2nd, 2010 at 7:07 PM
There have been some rumours also that Hollywood re-make film won’t be as crucial as the swedish films with the scenes. Maybe they’ll make some pretty ugly scenes more “softer”…for example the raping scene in the first movie.
Hollywood is too posh for these movies, truely! I’m sure they’re gonna remove most of the gayness, brutality and society criticism… I don’t wanna judge american moviemakers, but we all have seen now-a-days hollywood’s massive budget films and we can only wait what is coming
July 13th, 2010 at 2:39 AM
I am more than confident that the US versions of the films will be handled appropriately.
David Fincher directing and Scott Rudin producing? That is the PERFECT team. Look at their body of work. Rudin has even indicated the films will not be toned down.
Lastly, Steven Zaillian is an immensely talented writer. Again, look at the body of work. We have a power team on board for these films. I have faith that they will be done well.
Chris – thanks for this site. I have been looking for something like this for a while. Very well done. I’ll be dropping by regulary.
July 23rd, 2010 at 5:30 AM
Yes, I vote for Rapace. But Hollywood won’t. Too much money and politics involved, which is exactly what Larsson advocated against. I/m sure if he were alive he would not give them the rights unless he approved of the cast, script, etc.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:10 AM
Noomi Rapace has said that she will not reprise the role of Salander and Carey Mulligan has said that she will not play Salander. Daniel Craig is playing Blomkvist. I think Daniel Craig will probably do well as Blomkvist, but I am really unsure about who I think would be right as Salander.
August 6th, 2010 at 6:29 AM
When I first heard that Hollywood was getting involved with the Millenium series, I was worried. Then I took a closer look at the Swedish versions and saw correctible flaws. First, the Swedes told the pivotal, emotional parts of the story in the extended TV versions — Lisbeth falls for Micke, sees him with Erika and become angry and hurt, and finally reconciles with him, and so forth — but a lot of the emotional aspects of the stories were cut out for the cinema version. As a result, the final scene — in which she did thank him and planned to see him again — was an anti-climax. Hollywood isn’t doing what the Swedes did — filming it overly long for TV and then forcing themselves to cut out good stuff to adapt to the big screen — so they are likely to get it right the first time. Dull, emotionless anti-climax is not Hollywood’s style. They just need to avoid over-correcting with an overly sentimental, gloppy finale.
August 6th, 2010 at 8:14 AM
Haha – you have a lot more faith in Hollywood than I have!
But I do hope you’re right – thanks for the comment.
August 7th, 2010 at 3:41 AM
Stieg Larsson didn’t know he was going to die, obviously, so he left Micke and Lisbeth hanging at the end of Hornet’s Nest. “She let him back into her life” is a little vague, and the Swedes filmed it poorly. After Micke showed up to tell her Niederman was dead, they should have added a bit of closure. Not a big pile of romance, no sex, no kisses with a thousand violins, but a bridge to the future. Something dry and Lisbeth-like, like this:
(they enter her apartment)
Lisbeth – God, this shoulder is still killing me, even after an hour in the tub.
Micke – Here, lay down, put your head on my leg, I’ll massage it out for you….Lisbeth, you have given me two incredible gifts. All your life everyone told you that you were a freak, that you were crazy — at school, the police, the doctors, everyone. They even made you believe it. But from the minute we met, you showed me what’s inside you — things you can’t even see within yourself. Remember that first day in Armansky’s office? I made a joke about your computer and you laughed out loud. Armansky just stared at you – he had never seen you smile before. You showed me, and I knew — there’s nothing wrong with you, and you don’t need fixing.
Lisbeth – Micke, I’m a freak!
M — You’re not a freak, you are…amazing. That’s why I believed in you when you couldn’t believe in yourself. I believed in you when everyone said you were crazy. I believed in you before you had the money or the surgery, before you finally won in court. And before you jumped into my bed. Because I could see what you couldn’t. And that’s why we clicked — in your life, have you ever had as much fun, as you did when we were freezing our asses off, trying to figure out who was killing all those women?
And you let me see what you will become now. For the first time in your life, you’re finally free. Can you feel it yet? It’s all over. They’re all in jail or dead – your father, Bjurman, Teleborian. You can stop looking over your shoulder every time a policeman shows up. And now you are going to leave all that behind you, and climb out of your cocoon and become something beautiful — let everyone see what I see. I can’t wait to see what extraordinary thing you do next. Most people dream of doing one great thing in a lifetime — you could do six amazing, world-shaking things before lunch. There is nothing you can’t do. Soon everyone will see all that in you, but you let me see that from the very start.
And then you gave me another gift, even more amazing. You opened your heart to me, more than you ever did for anyone else in your life, even your mother. Even while you were carrying twenty years of pain inside you. You didn’t just save my life and my career — the best, most incredible gift you gave me was the love of a great friend.
And then you took it all away, you ran off. That was a long, long year.
L –(emotional) It sure was.
M — I can’t be happy when you’re unhappy, and I can’t be happy when you’re not around. And that, my friend, is a first. The one thing you can’t do is make me stop caring for you, no matter how far you run. And I’m not the only one. There’s a whole mob of us who want you in their lives, if you can just stop pushing us away. Let us in, Lisbeth. Obviously guns and knives can’t kill you. Love won’t kill you. Heartbreak won’t kill you. But loneliness? That will kill you. You know all about being lonely, don’t you?
L – Dammit! This is the second time you’ve made me cry.
M — You cry when you’re sad, you cry when you’re happy — see, you are a normal girl! You’re going to be alright now. Some peace and quiet.
L – So, no more adventures, then?
M – Um, funny you should mention that….Ever been to Canada? Got some more bad guys to chase.
L – (alert) Turn on the computer. Where’s my shirt?
M — That’s a good look for you, Pippi Longstocking.
L — (Laughs) Fuck you…
M – Okay, here’s what we know about these guys….
(several shots of them scheming and plotting, and then fade)
….See, he gives her some crap, gives her some long-overdue catharsis, and then sets them up to go on the next hunt. She doesn’t just slam the door in his face and roll the credits.
August 8th, 2010 at 10:23 PM
To get it right I would advise Hollywood to forget it…honestly what is the point, anyone remember ‘The Vanishing’? Check it out on Wikipedia see how this film was totally ruined in the remake.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:27 PM
Hollywood is going so bonkers over the Scarlett-Ohara-like hunt for the new Lisbeth Salander that even Vegas has gotten in on the act. The odds-makers’ favorite to get the job is Natalie Portman, but number two on the list, coming completely out of nowhere, is Emma Watson. Apparently her radical new haircut was, in fact, an effort to attract the director’s attention. It worked: he is auditioning her right now. This would actually be a good choice:
–they need a reliable, bankable actress who can show up in a few weeks ready to kick butt on the set
–she’s confident and smart as a whip; she knows how to carry a franchise without collapsing under the pressure, and she’s been there done that with action scenes
–she really wants to put Hermione behind her with a seriously adult role
–she’ll work cheap, since she was paid more money than God for the Potter movies
–and she really is superb, subtle actress, who won a rack of awards just for playing Hermione; she knows how to convey emotion even when the script is little help – perfect for the monosyllabic Lisbeth
She’s between 5’5 and 5’6, but she absolutely has Lisbeth’s shape.
Imagine the year she would have – premiering the last installment of Potter and the first Lisbeth Salander within months.
The one drama is that a lot of kiddie Harry Potter fans are going to say “Mommy, Hermione has a new movie!” And Mommy is going to say “talk to me when you’re 21, kid!”
August 11th, 2010 at 5:35 AM
I definitely think Emma’s got some qualities to play more adult, diverse and darker roles… but from what I’ve heard they may be going for a relative unknown in order not to ‘distract’ the audience. Anyways, it’s not super-important to me, but I just wanted to say that I share your enthusiasm for EW. Hope we’re gonna see a lot more of her- with or without tattoos!
August 11th, 2010 at 9:21 AM
Natalie Dormer!
August 11th, 2010 at 5:49 PM
I still think there will be major problems with the Hollwood remake as a small pointer look at the DVD cover and poster for ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ they left out all the piercings and changed Lisbeth’s eyes from brown to blue go to this link to see what the Swedish versions looked like.
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/international-dvd-talk/575923-tv-edition-millennium-trilogy-stieg-larsson.html.
Paul
August 12th, 2010 at 8:15 PM
The trick with Emma Watson is that Lisbeth is regularly described as looking a bit like a boy. Take her short hair and mousse it all up like the British guys do, and she will indeed look like a teenage boy. I can totally see it.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:16 PM
But who worked on that?
Fincher is putting together a very good team.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:09 AM
So Rooney Mara, then? She was my favourite AFTER reading the last list. Based on a picture since I haven’t seen her movies yet. It could have been someone much “worse”. *Ellen Page looks like a child* I’m (suprisingly) happy. After all, I do like Daniel Craig a lot and Robin Wright sounds like perfect Erika Berger. And Stellan Skarsgård as Henrik Vanger… Just adore his son, LOL
@Paul: I hope they aren’t planning on Lisbeth that looks like some… secretary. *Hey, Mr. Fincher bring the piercings and dark eyes back. Now!
August 18th, 2010 at 5:06 PM
Mara got the part in “Youth In Revolt” because the director realized that she could communicate volumes with her eyes, without saying a word. You could hardly have a better description for the way Lisbeth communicates.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:16 PM
have to say that I was surprised by the choice and from what I’ve seen Rooney Mara looks a tad too twee to be playing a bi sexual anti social underground hacker with multiple piercings and tats….just watched the Swedish version on DVD and was mesmerised………..hope to God that Hollywood doesn’t make a pigs ear of it…..having said that I can’t recall Daniel Craig making a bad movie..thinking of Defiance here
August 20th, 2010 at 6:03 AM
Lisbeth Salander IS twee. She weighs about as much as my right leg, she has very little strength, she loses a lot of her fights, she has weaknesses, she has fears, she makes mistakes, she has vulnerabilities, she has emotions. She’s not Nikita, she’s not Ripley, and she’s not Lara Croft — if she were, she’d be boring.
August 20th, 2010 at 6:32 AM
This was from “Nick Savage” but posted under “Write your favourite Millennium piece”:
“If Hollywood can’t decide whom to cast opposite Daniel Craig in the remake of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” has anyone thought that NOOMI REACE is the best choice? I personally don’t want to have to get used to a new “Sally!” NOOMI rocks! Nick Savage near Hollywood. CA”
Chris
August 20th, 2010 at 9:32 PM
I don’t think it was who made the film that counts.For example with ‘The Vanishing’ It was the change of ending, in the original the film ends with the main character being buried alive…at that point the film ended.In the remake the main character escapes and lives happily ever after. Another example would be Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner the original ending as shot by Ridley Scott was changed because the film company wanted a more upbeat ending.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:21 AM
And that’s the point. A good director wouldn’t have made that mistake.
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:50 PM
I have aiways considered that Ridley Scott was a good director (maybe thats just me
) the changes were foisted on him by the studio. Also it was the same director who did the original version of ‘The Vanishing’ who directed the Hollywood version. Over the years many films have been bastardised for commercial reasons. Anothet good example would be David Lynch’s Dune which was destroyed by being cut from 3 1/2 hots to about 2 so that there could be 2 showings a night in theatres…I just think that the Hollwood version will not be as dark as the original.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:55 PM
It’s not just you – Ridley is one of my favourite directors, although he’s a bit hit and miss. (And no, let’s stick to topic – this is not going to be a Ridley-thread now!
)
Anyway, this is by far the most commented page on sallys. It feels like there should be a follow-up but I’d like to do something substantial, not just another brainless casting discussion page or something like that. So ideas are welcome! What would be a good follow-up analysis of the upcoming Hollywood remake?
August 25th, 2010 at 4:46 PM
Well… I was not overwhelmed by Rapaces perfomance. I think she did a good job but it could be improved upon. I just don’t see asperger or asperger-like symptoms in her performance. I see a troubled emo-teenager with lots of surpressed anger. She is not shutting off, she is just holding it in. Not quite the Lisbeth I met in the books. I have never seen Rooney Mara on screen but looking at pictures of her she seems to have kind of a cool, empty look in her eyes. She also has a sweet face. A contrast that just might work. I trust that Fincher knows what he’s doing and that he has casted the right Lisbeth. We’ll see…
August 25th, 2010 at 8:49 PM
Agreed! I think it would be interesting to discuss what areas the re-make could limprove on (Excluding casting
) including what to leave out from the novel(s) or how elements of the plot could be altered for the film version. A good example of how the original film ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ altered the plot was when Lisbeth discovered the Biblical meaning of the ‘phone numbers’ (not through a chance remark by Blomqvist’s daughter and how she then contacted Blomqvist semi-anonymously. I read the book after seeing the film and felt that the way that Lisbeth became involved was quite pedetrian in comparison.
As always IMHO
November 9th, 2010 at 12:36 PM
I agree with Niels:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/09/swedish-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-director-attacks-hollywood-remake
January 3rd, 2011 at 3:01 PM
you mistook my meaning of “twee”….I am not saying that Lisbeth is some psychologically or physically strong wonderwoman, I’m saying that Rooney Mara has not in my opinion shown anything in her previous work to suggest that she could carry off such a complex personality as Lisbeth Salander ( who incidently I think you have done a disservice by suggesting that she is not strong. It is self evident throughout the books that she is very strong…you can’t do what she does throughout the trilogy without physical and mental strenght).
February 2nd, 2011 at 4:48 PM
I’m not sure they should be doing this. Hollywood seems to change everything and make it too pretty! I think an actress that would make a very good Lisbeth would be Olivia Wilde (with her ‘tron’ look) she has such a unique and edgy look, like what I personally pictured Lisbeth like, for some reason while reading the novels I always imagined the lead man from the mentalist to be Mikael! Perfect age gap between those too to!