Fans of Scandinavian murder, it’s time to update your Lisbeth Salander casting possibility wallcharts. Reports came in earlier in the week that Sony and director David Fincher had narrowed down their possibilities for the female lead in “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” down to five: “Sucker Punch” star Emily Browning, two relatively unknown Australian actresses in the shape of Sara Snook and Sophie Lowe, “The Social Network” star Rooney Mara (as reported first right here), and one unidentified French actress.
Now, it seems that Showbiz 411 have uncovered the missing piece in the puzzle, as they suggest that French thespian Lea Seydoux is that enigmatic fifth actress, and that she may well be a front-runner for the role. If you were one of the unlucky few that saw Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood,” you’ll recognize Seydoux; she played Oscar Isaac’s mistress in the ill-fated epic, as well as appearing briefly in “Inglourious Basterds.” More importantly, she had a key role in Jessica Hausner’s excellent “Lourdes,” and comes from fine French cinema stock, her grandfather having been chairman of Pathé, and her uncle being CEO of Gaumont.
At this point, any actress under 25 with prominent cheekbones seems to be in contention for the part, so there’s certainly no guarantee that Seydoux has the role. Furthermore, the report seems to suggest that the actress hasn’t yet screen-tested, which gives some credence to what we were told; that the studio may go back to some of the bigger names (Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, Mia Wasikowski, etc.) if the relative unknowns don’t work out, but we still expect one of Browning, Snook, Lowe, Mara or Seydoux to be named in the role in the near future.