Skip to main content

The Girl With Dragon Tattoo - English language novel's adaptation

Well, I've been reading the book and I've to say that's one of the best stories I've ever read (but I'm young).

While reading the novel and knowing that there will be an adaptation of the book to an English speaking movie I did some research today in order to know who are the contenders for the three lead characters: Mikael Blomkvist, Lisbeth Salander and Henrik Vanger.

For the role of Blomkvist there are some big names such as Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig (who's leading the race at the moment), but I would suggest Viggo Mortensen to play the character. My choice isn't only based in the fact that Mortensen being a Danish descendent (and Denmark is not far from Sweden) but I think he just fits the character's description very well (according to female opinions he has something that make him charming) and has a "dark acting style" that would be perfect to this movie. But if he won't be chosen, I hope the role will go to Craig (who has that "something" women like that's necessary to the character and knows how to act) instead of Brad Pitt (he's good in some movies, but he doesn't impress me and I think he looks too young for the part)

To play Lisbeth Salander the contenders' list is huge. There are names such as Carey Mulligan, Kristen Stewart, Elle Page, Olivia Thirlby, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Zoë Saldana. It's a women's fight for a juicy role that will be one of the acting gems of the chosen actress. Well, there's a lot of names, so there's a lot to write and we have to start for someone:
- Carey Mulligan: she proved she's really talented and a great ingenue characters actress in An Education (which gave her an Oscar nod) and in Wall Street's sequel (I haven't seen this one but her performance's reviews are favorable) but I think Mulligan is too sweet for the part in spite of fitting the character's description. Mulligan is not bad, but she doesn't have the "dark charisma" that's necessary;
- Kristen Stewart: I must confess I don't like her very much but I hated her before watching Into the Wild. She bored me when I saw Twillight and she has the "don't toutch me please or I die" look. People say she was very good in The Runaways and, let's be honest, she isn't a bad actress. She's young and has something in her, but she's too much herself and Lisbeth is a too much complicated character.
- Ellen Page: well, she's a serious contender. She played really strong characters before (Hard Candy, Mouth to Mouth and Juno) and if she will play Lisbeth I think she will deliver a strong performance, but my concerns about her is that she looks too much like a child, a little angel, she doesn't look "mysterious" enough to play Lisbeth.
- Olivia Thirlby: who's she? I just knew that she was Juno's friend today. Maybe I'm a great ignorant but I have serious doubts about if she could play Lisbeth (but I don't know her work).
- Keira Knightley: she's too tall and after more than 100 years playing characters in movies that are setted in past centuries I swear I can't see her as Lisbeth. She's skinny but last time she played a "bad girl" was in Domino and critics and I didn't like it too much.
- Natalie Portman: a strong contender. She's famous for playing strong women in movies like Closer and she's really talented and dramatic (Cold Mountain; Brothers). She's pretty and has mysterious eyes. She could play the female lead in this movie, definetly.
- Scarlett Johansson: another serious contender. I must say I'm Scarlett's fan but I was apreensive about her Black Widow before seeing her. She was cold as ice and that surprised me a lot in a positive way. She's talented, has a great body of work (Lost In Translation, Match Point, The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Iron Man 2) and she can be a true question point when she's acting. I think she's the list's actress with the right charisma to play Lisbeth, but I've by concernes about the fact that she's really sexy and curvy (she must loose what makes her special in order to play a special role).
- Anne Hathaway: defenetly NO. She is too sweet and I don't like her at all, but I've to admite she's really pretty and that she can be good when she has very good material.
- Zoë Saldana: well she's not a white skin girl and it can be a disadvantage for her (but makeup can make miracles: just watch Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder). I like her, really. She played Neytiri really well which is a proof she can play strong and independent women and revealing some weakness at the same time (being a little bit sentimental).

So, my top three best actresses to play Lisbeth Salander is:
1 - Scarlett Johansson
2 - Ellen Page
3 - Natalie Portman

For the role of Henryk Vanger I didn't find any name in the press, but I would suggest Michael Caine or Hal Holbrook (a wig can resolve a lack of hair problem).


So, my final names are:
- Viggo Mortensen as Mikael Blomkvist
- Scarlett Johansson as Lisbeth Salander
- Michael Caine as Henryk Vanger



Now, imagine a movie with this three talented actors!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today - 2017

The almost annual TOP 35 Actors and Actresses Under 35 Working Today is out, with me considering the performers' performances of 2016 also. We have a few changes since last year's list, with Greta Gerwig toping the list thanks to her last 3 great performances in Mistress America , Maggie's Plan and the Oscar buzzy acting turn in 20th Century Women . Scarlett Johansson comes second with her latest distinguished performance being in 2014 ( Under the Skin ), but she managed to be at the spotligh this year thanks to her fine turns in critically acclaimed movies: Hail, Caesar! , Captain America: Civil War , The Jungle Book (voice) and Sing (voice). Emily Blunt adds another great performance to her resume in The Girl on the Train and she comes third, while Elle Fanning 's turning into one of the finest actresses and she's getting to play more adult and complex parts like The Neon Demon  and 20th Century Women 's (her two best performances since Super 8 ). Finall

TOP 10 Most Promising Movie Actors (under 30)

Today I discussed about how awful some "teen icons" are and then we talked about some exceptions. So, I decided to make a little list, a TOP 10, with the male actors that I think that will become music in an ocean of noise somewhere in the future (I did one list before, but it was a little bit pathetic and I didn't justify my choices). Let's start... 1 - Ryan Gosling He may not have a huge list of movies in his body of work, but the few times he makes something, all the time he almost carries the movie. In fact, Gosling is a proof that talent does exist and that you don't need excentrical characters to receive raves. He rose to fame after the big screen adaptation of The Notebook (2004) and then received lots of critical praise for his performances in movies like Half Nelson (that gave him an Oscar, a SAG Award and other major awards nominations), Lars and the Real Girl (that gave him a Golden Globe, a SAG Award and other major awards nominations) and Fractur

TOP 35 Actors and Actresses with or under 35 years old: 2018

I think it was my TOP 35 under 35 list I've ever done since I remember: so many great performers emerged last year with distinguished performances that elevated their previous works (I'm talking about Elizabeth Olsen , Lucas Hedges , Robert Pattinson , Gaspard Ulliel , Tessa Thompson or Jamie Bell , for example). I'm kinda sad I felt "forced" at letting Jonah Hill ( Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street ) and Emma Watson ( The Perks of Being a Wallflower , The Bling Ring and 2017's Beauty and the Beast ) out of the list. Congratulations to Kirsten Dunst , who turned 35 last year so she can not be included in this year's list - such an amazing child actress turned movie star, who delivered memorable performances in Interview with the Vampire (1994), The Virgin Suicides (1999), The Cat's Meow (2002) or Melancholia (2011). This year, Saoirse Ronan tops the list thanks to two great performances: On Chesil Beach and an iconic acting turn in Lad