Rooney Mara’s breakthrough performance came in 2011 when she took on the iconic role of Lisbeth Salander for David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and while she had previously expressed disappointment in not getting to reprise the role for 2018’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web, she no longer has the passion for the character she once had and is no longer interested in a return to the role. Despite the critical acclaim of the 2011 film, it earned a somewhat underwhelming financial response, with Spider’s Web being both a financial and critical disappointment, making any more sequels seem highly unlikely. Mara can next be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, which hits theaters on December 17th.
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“I think I’m a totally different person. And I had really wanted to do the next books in the series,” Mara explained to ComicBook.com. “They skipped right over them and went right to Spider’s Web. Listen, I love that character. I have a soft spot in my soul for her, but yeah, I don’t see a world in which they would bring me back. I’m an old lady now for that part … God, it’s 10 years later. I have a child.”
When joking about an “Old Lady with the Dragon Tattoo” sequel, Mara noted, “See, I would do that. Come back in 20 more years. That’s interesting. Let’s see where is Lisbeth then. But to go to play the thing that I did 10 years ago, no, I couldn’t do that.”
The film was inspired by the first book in Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” series, which he wrote three installments of before passing away. Those first three stories were first brought to life as a Swedish miniseries starring Noomi Rapace, which would also be a breakout role for her.
The 2011 film was directed by Fincher, who had originally planned to adapt all three books, but between the disappointing box office and Fincher’s meticulous filmmaking sensibilities, that iteration of the adaptations was scrapped. The series rebooted itself by jumping to the fourth book in the series, the first not written by Larsson, with Claire Foy taking on the iconic role of Lisbeth.
Nightmare Alley is described, “When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly (Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.”
Stay tuned for details on the possible future for Lisbeth Salander. Nightmare Alley hits theaters on December 17th.
Are you disappointed Mara won’t be returning to the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaughย directly on Twitterย to talk all things horror and Star Wars!ย
