Could the girl with the dragon tattoo move from one twisted tale right into another? According to Twitch, Mandate Pictures and director Spike Lee are hoping the answer to that question is yes, as Rooney Mara is being sought to take the pivotal female lead role in the “Oldboy” remake.
The biggest question over the past couple years while this project has been in development is whether or not the American do-over would retain the stomach-churning twist of Park Chan-wook‘s film. In an already difficult film, the reveal between the female and male leads is one of the most memorable and disturbing in recent memory. And we won’t spoil it here for those of you who haven’t seen the original, but it should also be noted that screenwriter Mark Protosevich is using both the Korean film and the Japanese book as the basis for his script, and in the manga, that revelation is not there and was something entirely created by Park. So we’ll have to see which way this one goes, but it’s not any surprise that Mara is at the top of the wishlist.
The actress is already poised to become the next big thing with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salandar in David Fincher‘s upcoming holiday downer. But will she want to move from the lengthy ‘Dragon Tattoo‘ shoot right into another movie with a dark narrative at its core? We’d guess the rising actress may want to switch things up a bit. And let’s not forget, she’s also set to reteam with her “Tanner Hall” director Francesca Gregorini for “Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes,” and we’d guess this smaller scale indie would be her logical next choice. But again, who knows how this all will play out.
If Mara doesn’t end up taking the pic, we’re sure a pretty solid shortlist will eventually surface for the actress to star alongside Josh Brolin in the film. Lensing on this will begin in late 2011/early 2012 when Brolin is finished with “The Gangster Squad” and Lee with “Red Hook Summer.” Entertainment Weekly is reporting the same, lending credence to Twitch’s report.
