THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO....The Reel Facts (and Opinions)

Friends of Reel Speak have been inquiring about the upcoming film THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, due December 21st of this year. There is some understandable confusion, as many audiences were treated to a TATTOO rendition in the theatres less than two years ago, and some of them may have seen the books floating around. Reel Speak seeks to sort out the mess, and offer some opinion (since that’s why all you blokes come here anyway).

FACTS: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was at first an award-winning crime novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, and the first part of his “Milennium Series”. It was first published in 2005, a year after his death. The second book, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE was released in 2006, and the third, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST in 2007. The books were a critical and financial success.

With the books becoming a big hit, a movie adaptation was inevitable. Enter Yellow Bird, a Swedish film production company, who produced film versions that began to see limited release in Scandinavia in 2009. Originally, only TATTOO was to be a theatrical release, with the next two parts presented on television in a mini-series format. However, TATTOO was such a big hit, the filmmakers scrapped the TV idea and slapped the last two parts together into feature-length films, which were also released in late 2009. The films saw limited runs in the United States (sub-titled), and are available on DVD and (glorious) blu-ray.

With the moderate success of the films (the second and third parts suffer from being pieced together out of a TV format), it was inevitable that America would want a piece of the pie. Enter David Fincher, the man responsible for SE7EN, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, and Oscar-darling THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Fincher’s versions will star Daniel Craig (the current James Bond), and Rooney Mara (THE SOCIAL NETWORK), and will begin to hit theaters in December of this year. The following two films will be released in 2012 and 2013. Rooney Mara will not be the only NETWORK alum to re-join Fincher; Trent Reznor, who won an Oscar for his work in NETWORK, will be scoring the trilogy.

OPINION: This blogger is unfamiliar with the books, and never had the opportunity to view the films. But a quick glance at the passionate reviews across the interwebs reveals some dark atmospheres and themes. Fincher has had quite a knack in creating atmosphere, and has always been able to get some great and unexpected performances out of his actors. He seems well suited for the task, and it is refreshing to know that he will be handling the entire trilogy. With a story that has already gripped a lot of readers and viewers, this feels like something to look forward to.

What say you?