The news continues to pour in from Comic Con as Daniel Craig, representing his upcoming John Favreau project Cowboys & Aliens, has been confirmed to play the male lead in director David Fincher’s remake of the hit Swedish film of the same name.
The British actor, known for portraying the most recent incarnation of James Bond, will star as Mikael Blomkvist, a newspaper reporter
investigating the decade old disappearance of a young girl.
With his next outing as the famed superspy put on hold due to mammoth budget problems at MGM, his immediate slate is clear. However, the novel by Stieg Larson, from which the film will be adapted, is part of a trilogy so how this will affect Craig’s duties to his James Bond contract remains to be seen.
The original “Dragon Tattoo” was released in North America in March of this year and subsequently became the biggest independent hit of 2010 grossing almost $10 million dollars during its run. The second installment of the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire was just released a couple weeks ago and it will all conclude this fall with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
Although the role of Blomkvist will be difficult to fill after the excellent portrayal of the character by actor Michael Nyqvist, having seen and loved the original, Craig is an excellent choice to fill the part. He's just a busy, busy man. If Cowboys & Aliens becomes a hit, Craig could be juggling three major franchises.
With half of the lead casting compete, all eyes will be on the yet unfilled part of female computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Screen tests for the role will begin next week with actresses the likes of Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, Kristen Stewart, Natalie Portman, Mia Wasikowska, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Thirlby, Eva Green, Rooney Mara and Scarlett Johansson all having been subject to buzz, though rumors of late have speculated the role could go to an unknown.
