Little-known American actress Rooney Mara has clinched the coveted lead role in the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, beating off competition from Hollywood biggies like Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.
The 25-year-old brunette will play Lisbeth Salander, the pierced and tattooed lesbian hacker, opposite Bond star Daniel Craig, in the film adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s bestselling trilogy.
Auditions for the role had been on for the past few months before Mara was chosen by director David Fincher, Columbia Pictures said in a release.
Rooney Mara is the sister of actress Kate Mara and appeared in the 2010 remake of ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ and had small parts in TV dramas ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The blonde, blue-eyed Craig will play journalist and amateur sleuth Mikael Blomkvist in the movie, which starts shooting in Sweden in September, said the release.