With "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" a colossal bomb last month, it’s an instructive lesson to Hollywood that what may have captured the zeitgeist years ago, may not resonate later. David Fincher‘s "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," based on the bestselling book that everyone read, came on the heels of the Swedish language trilogy that brought Noomi Rapace to the attention of Hollywood. And those are just a couple of the reasons the very expensive, R-rated, adult thriller—released at Christmas—only earned just over $230 million worldwide. That might seem like a lot, but when you factor in the budget and release date, clearly the studio expected a better result.
Still, they have a franchise on their hands, but one that has been moving along very, very slowly. Back in 2013, "Se7en" screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to rewrite the script for "The Girl Who Played With Fire," but not much happened after that. And for a moment, Fincher pivoted to Disney‘s "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," which also seems to be on a slow boil. Fincher evidently holds out some hope ‘Fire’ will get made, if only because Sony has already invested in it according to a Google translation of a recent interview (tread carefully).
"I think because [Sony] already has spent millions of dollars on the rights and the script so it will result in something," he told Swedish site Afton Bladet (via Film Divider who provided the translation). "The script that we now have a huge potential, I can reveal as much as it is extremely different from the book."
So, keep hope alive? We’ll believe it when we see it. Even though Hollywood always throws good money after bad, Sony has little reason to rush on ‘Fire,’ especially if they’ve already waited this long. And right now, with their ‘Spidey‘-verse languishing, ‘Fire’ could seem like even more of a risk to spend big money and lose out; they don’t want to end up with another ‘Dame To Kill For’ on their hands, which delivers more of the same to an indifferent public.
Moreover, if Fincher is going to be involved, he’s busy as hell with TV projects, including two shows for HBO, "Utopia" and the recently revealed 1950s noir he’s working on with James Ellroy.
There’s also a lot of studio politics involved, and the production problems (Fincher battled with the higher ups) and modest reception of ‘Dragon Tattoo’ created a lot of hurt and agitated feelings on all sides. Why do you think Fincher wanted $10 million up front when Sony and ‘Dragon Tattoo’ producer Scott Rudin asked him if he was interested in directing a Steve Jobs biopic? The media, of course, tried to paint him as greedy, but ‘Dragon Tattoo’ was an arduous experience for the filmmaker and the fee was essentially way to say, "Sure, I’ll work with these guys again, but at a cost."
Hollywood figures have an uncanny ability to get over past bitterness—see Bryan Singer and the ‘X-Men‘ franchise or Peter Jackson and New Line—but still, we’ll believe it when we see it.
I hope it gets made. Hard to beat the Swedish version but I think Fire and Hornets could have been much better. Thought Craig and Mara were excellent…not sold on Wright.
This won\’t happen because every year that passes without a sequel Millennium loses its cultural cache. Given the box office disappointment of the first film Sony may want to cut the budget for the next film. And the actors (Craig) may want a pay increase which Sony will be unwilling to pay.
NO WAY….I\’M MORE THAN READY FOR THE OTHER TWO SEQUELS. THEY ARE WORTH PUTTING OUT TO THE PUBLIC…I\’VE BEEN WAITING ANXIOUSLY FOR THEIR RELEASES
I read the trilogy saw the Swedish version of the trilogy and the American movie. I loved all of them. I couldn't put the book down. I've seen the trilogy twice and watched the American movie four times. I would love to see The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest done well by American writers and directors.
Swedish movies were terrible. Felt like bad TV movies like "The Shining" from the 90's. The Fincher film was ok because it was beautiful to look at. Neither were faithful to the books which I feel cannot be properly translated to film.
His remake bombed because it was awful. The three movies cut from the original 9 hour Swedish series based on the book are definitive. They embody the spirit and artistry of the books faithfully. There's no reason for us to weigh in unless we have a particularly relevant and fresh insight to the work. He (or perhaps the suits he was enslaved to) screwed up everything from the casting on down. Let it alone already.
The 3 movies were already made, you have to read sub titles but well worth it. There is no way he can do better. He will NEVER compare with Daniel Alfredson and the superb movies he made!
"The script that we now have a huge potential, I can reveal as much as it is extremely different from the book."
Then they should just leave it alone. It would be a huge disrespect to the late Stieg Larsson to take artistic liberties with these masterpieces. For anyone who hasn't seen them they should try the Swedish film versions. Very well made.
Needs to get made
The sequels could get made, just not with HIM directing them. That's what he's saying, lol.
Let's not forget that a 4th book is being released next year so that could ramp up interest in the series once again. I loved Rooney Mara as Lisbeth so I'm looking forward to seeing her again for the sequels
I like to imagine one day we'll get an Alien 5 with Sigourney Weaver to act as the final proper farewell to Ellen Ripley to make up for the Joss Whedon scripted mess that was Alien: Resurrection. Ain't gonna happen.
As much as I love Fincher's work, the studio missed its window. Waited too long. The hype and buzz surrounding the Millennium books died off awhile ago. What's the saying, ' Strike while the iron is hot'? Hollywood was beaten to the punch by the international movie trilogy.
Sony's Film rights to the Millennium series expires by December 2015 and another film studio could get the film rights beyond 2015 and reboot the series from scratch.
Any USA attempt to remake these films is futile, they screwed The girl with the dragon tattoo don't mess with the brilliant Scandi movies, Hollywood works on budget not class. And yes read the books first please.
Dragon Tattoo has a lot of good stuff to it, but was lost in its faithfulness to the book (which was a good read had a lot of narrative problems). Many of the arcs were flat and missed that suspenseful hook Fincher usually brings. I think taking the sequels in a totally different direction from the books would be refreshing and get audiences back.
Also the publisher is still commissioning additional book sequels from writers, so many feel there is still life in this series.
Fincher looks like a hipster Terrence Malick in that photo. Is he?
i think the public is over the Larsson Millenium trilogy due to diminishing returns after the first novel. the second and third highlight the absurdity of the main characters: the ridiculousness of Blomkvist hooking up with near every female character and the vapidness of one-note Salander. departing from the source material may do the characters some justice, though, but i wouldn't put too much stock in it and doubt masses will go see a sequel in droves.
Sony had a difficult time here too. It's no guarantee they'd want him back when they have stars in place and could replace with a less uncompromising/less costly filmmaker.
Hey Edward Pseudonym Davis, Sequelizing GWTDT would be nothing like doing a sequel long after the fact. David Fincher's stock only continues to rise and if GONE GIRL is a hit that's a new credit they can slap on the GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE poster. Fincher and Rodriguez are apples and oranges and you'd recognize that if you could put aside your cynical view on everything for two seconds.