Those hoping that Ellen Page or a few of the other hot Hollywood actresses that expressed interest in the role of mysterious and damaged hacker Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo might be out of luck. Fincher and producer Scott Rudin are screen-testing five relatively unknown female actresses according to indieWire and this might be the lucky break that propels the actress they select out of obscurity. The casting of Salander should be handled with care as the character is integral to the effectiveness of the dark mystery thriller. So far the list has Aussie actresses Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), Sarah Snook (Sleeping Beauty), and Sophie Lowe (Blame). The final two candidates are Rooney Mara (Fincher’s upcoming The Social Network) and an unidentified French actress.

The search seems to be heating up and despite this being a remake of the Swedish film that has garnered critical praise, they appear to be in the market for a female lead that will also speak Swedish in the film. For full details on the plot and the current casting rumors, hit the break.

Here's the Amazon description of the Swedish best-seller:

“Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.”

Daniel Craig has long been rumored to play the role of the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and remains in negotiations for the role. However, indieWire’s latest report seems to indicate that not all is on solid ground. Craig’s talents are a hot commodity right now with Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens demanding immediate attention and the fact that Craig would be needed for the planned trilogy that makes up Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy that Dragon Tattoo is a part of. The role would likely not end up going to an unknown if negotiations break down with Craig but stranger things have happened. Sony has set the date for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on December 21, 2011. Stay tuned for more developments as they come.

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