Stieg Larson’s acclaimed mystery thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is getting a new adaptation in the form of a series from Sky with David Oyelowo (Silo) and Viola Prettejohn (The Crown) in the lead roles.
First published in Sweden in 2005 and then translated in 2008, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first novel in the Millennium Trilogy which follows Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist as they investigate a cold case of a wealthy family’s missing and presumed dead member. The book became a worldwide bestseller and launched a trilogy of Millennium films featuring Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth and Michael Nyqvist as Mikael. Dragon Tattoo was remade in 2011 by David Fincher with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig in the lead roles.
The new TV series will see Oyelowo as Mikael and Prettejohn as Lisbeth. The series will be brought to the modern day and expand on elements the feature films could not fit in, such as the extended Vanger family as Mikael and Lisbeth delve into the family’s long history and their complex relationships. The official synopsis reads:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo follows canceled star journalist Mikael Blomkvist and uncompromising hacker Lisbeth Salander as they investigate the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, who vanished more than three decades ago from the secluded island home of one of Sweden’s most powerful industrial dynasties. As they delve deeper into the Vanger family’s buried past, their investigation draws them closer to a chilling threat unfolding dangerously close to them in the present.
The series is created by Amanda Coe, Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, who will write and executive produce. Directing the series will be Reinaldo Marcus Green, who will also executive produce, Andrea Harkin and Amy Neil. Sony Pictures Television and Left Bank Pictures are producing.
“Salander and Blomkvist are two of modern fiction’s most iconic and compelling characters, and we’re thrilled to have Viola and David bringing them to life for a new generation,” said Sky’s head of scripted originals Meghan Lyvers.
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an iconic story with themes of power, corruption, justice and violence against women that feel even more timely today,” said Left Banks’ Charlotte Moore. “In Viola Prettejohn and David Oyelowo, we have two extraordinary actors at the heart of this adaptation and really look forward to audiences enjoying their take on these compelling and complex characters.”
Additional casting is to be announced in the coming weeks as production readies to begin in Lithuania next month.
