Monday, the biggest piece of casting news in Hollywood was released by Sony, and many of the world’s biggest young actresses are sure to weeping tears of misery. Yes, the part of Lisbeth Salander in the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has finally been cast after months and months of waiting and speculation and the winner is...Rooney Mara! Have no idea who Rooney Mara is? Don’t worry, you’re not alone, and that’s exactly how director David Fincher wants it.

Countless big-name actresses were at one point or another rumored to have been up for the part, including Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley, Ellen Page, Emma Watson, and Kristen Stewart to name only a few, but Fincher deliberately wanted an unknown as his star. Rooney hasn’t exactly popped out of nowhere, however. She recently worked with Fincher on The Social Network, a much anticipated film set to be released in October about the creation of Facebook. Rooney can also be found as the lead in the recent Nightmare on Elm Street remake and as smaller roles in Youth in Revolt, The Winning Season, Dare, and Tanner Hall. In a previous article, I questioned Rooney’s acting ability for its extreme subtlety, but I can no longer complain as that’s exactly what the character Lisbeth is known for. The subtler the better, so more power to you, Rooney!

Rooney Mara

Rooney and Daniel Craig, who is playing lead Mikael Blomkvist, are signed on to star in not only The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which will film in Sweden), but the entire trilogy including The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. The first two Swedish originals have already been released in the US, and the final installment will be released here in October.

more on next page...

\\\

(continued)

Meanwhile, more casting news for the plethora of side characters will continue to be revealed, and it’s already looking like a very successful group. Stellan Skarsgard is currently in talks to play captain of industry Martin Vanger, and Robin Wright is set to play Erika Berger, Blomkvist’s associate and part-time fling. If you need a Robin Wright fix while you wait for 2011, I recommend The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, a simple but engaging film about a woman whose life is slowly falling apart. Such a brilliant actress as Robin is definitely exciting addition to the Dragon Tattoo bunch.

Robin Wright

Many will be skeptical about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake as the original is already an acclaimed success, and it will be nearly impossible to follow up Noomi Rapace’s killer performance as Lisbeth.

Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander

I too am a huge fan of Rapace and the original, but it’s hard not to keep an open mind when the American cast keeps getting better and better. So brush up on your Rooney Mara knowledge and remember her name- it’s going to be huge in no time.

Read more of Rebekah's stories here.

Follow SheWired on Twitter!

Follow SheWired on Facebook!