Kate McCabe Warehouse

I’ve just finished reading The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  You know that book that everyone’s going bonkers about right now?  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo?  Well, that book is the first novel of The Millenium Trilogy.  It’s a page burning read, whip-smart, with cracking characters and even a strong feminist outlook thrown in.  I really enjoyed it.  Sweden has already adapted TGWTDT and the second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire and are almost finished filming the final installment, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest, I do believe.

The Swedish films are well-reviewed (the first a bit more so than the second) and I’m excited to watch them now that I’ve finally finished the series.  Never one to ignore potential profit, Hollywood is, of course, adapting the trilogy for the big screen as well.  Purists and foreign cinema snobs lovers everywhere are going apeshit.  Why can’t everyone just watch the Swedish ones this and Hollywood’s gonna mess it up that.  Well, I can’t say that having two film versions of an awesome book upsets me in the least.  I’ll be just as excited to watch the Yankee version as I am to watch the Swede ones.  I mean, have a little faith, folks…at least David Fincher is directing them and not Joel Schumacher.

Anyway, one area that the new US versions have to tread carefully upon is the casting.  People are precious with these characters, especially that of the fascinating and Aspergic heroine Lisbeth Salander.  I LOVE playing casting director and have decided to use today’s great thing space to do so.  I think my choices are solid and I’ve explained why as/when necessary.  For the ones that I don’t provide rationale for, know this:  I picked them because it’s who I visualized playing the part in my head as I read it.  Still, even without explanation, I think my instincts are good.  Nay…not good…Great!

139.  The Millenium Trilogy (a ‘Kate Casts The Film’ Blog Entry) I warn you now:  some minor spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the books but intend to do so, you may just want to give this one a pass…

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

some minor spoilers ahead

I’m casting all of the books, not just the first one.  Let’s start with some of the supporting characters, shall we?

Henrik Vanger:  Christopher Plummer…I dunno.  He looks vaguely Swedish and also like a billionaire industrialist.

Holger Palmgren: Armin Mueller-Stahl.  I even knew how to spell his name without looking it up.  Check me.

Nils Bjurman-:  Geoffery Rush

Jan Bublanski: Richard Jenkins

Evert Gullberg:  Robert Duvall

Peter Teleborian:  David Tennant.  He’s played charming lots.  I think he could also do smarmy academic if he wanted.

Detective Modig:  Sonja Sohn.  The book never describes her as black, but why not cast an actress of color?  Sohn has played police well before and she also comes across as someone who wants to do the right thing in any given situation.

Detective Faste: Jack O’Halloran…yeah that’s right.  The guy who played Non in Superman 2 and Emil Muzz in Dragnet. Awesome.  Somebody give this legend a job!

Ronald Niedermann: Peter Hermann.  This man isn’t really a recognizable name yet, but he’s a big fella (six-foot five) who could easily step into the shoes of the merciless German giant.  He’s been on television loads and he’s also Mariska Hargitay’s husband.

Monica Figuerola: Franka Potente–the former Run Lola Run and Bourne films star is almost five foot nine and looks like she could add muscle to her frame easily if she picked up a dumbbell and added magical powdered nonsense weight-gain shakes to her diet.

Zalachenko: Zeljko Ivanek–And not just because he has an already Eastern Bloc sounding name.  He’s wiry, small, and can be quite a vicious actor when it calls for him to be.

Miriam Wu: Kelly Hu…because she was smokin’ hot as Lady Deathstrike in X2.  She’s proven that she can throw some highkicks.  Also, I’d like to see her in a more dramatic role.

Annika Giannini: Lorraine Bracco

Erika Berger: Marion Cotillard.  The character is  supposed to be blonde but that’s what hair dye is for.  Plus, along with the other Brit-actors I’ve cast, she helps to make my picks a bit more Euro-classy, diverting criticism that the production is too American. (As if anything could ever be TOO American…please.)

Mikael Blomkvist: Now, rumor has it that Daniel Craig has already been cast in the role of the intrepid journalist.  I’d like to call ‘take-backsies’.  Re-cast it to Aaron Eckhart, please.  I’m tired of Daniel Craig and I think this guy is a better actor.  And more middle-aged handsome!