Who will Hollywood cast as 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'?

Sony has a release date for David Fincher's adaptation of the Swedish best-seller. Now all they need is an actress to play its genius anti-heroine, Lisbeth Salander

Solidifying its plans for one of the most anticipated movies in decades, Sony Pictures has announced a release date of Dec. 21, 2011 for the Hollywood adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-seller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. (A Swedish version came out last year). With David Fincher (Fight Club) on board to direct and Daniel Craig seemingly set to play the male lead, the burning question is: Who will play the tiny, terrifyingly brainy, titular "Girl," Lisbeth Salander? "Every actress in the world wants it," says Sony Pictures co-Chairman Amy Pascal, as quoted in The Wrap. "It's the greatest character for a girl since I-don't-know-what." Though a global casting search is underway, a shortish list of contenders is already being talked up. Here's the latest:

THE BIG NAMES

Ellen Page: She's appropriately short and intense (see Hard Candy) and, with the success of her current film, Inception, some say she's the actress to beat. Possible advantage: Noomi Rapace, who plays Salander in the Swedish film, told the Los Angeles Times that she likes Page's acting.

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Kristen Stewart: Fans of the moody starlet, whose Twilight performances are distinguished by a decidedly un-Salander torpor, are incensed that she has not been cast, or even considered. "Lisbeth is a struggling, angst-ridden, sexually combustible (and very take-charge) brilliant young girl," say Ted Casablanca and Marc Snetiker in E Online. "Kristen is...perfect."

Emily Browning: "Browning would make a killer Salander," says Eric Ditzian in MTV News. After tackling a similar character (institutionalized, vengeful) in the upcoming film Sucker Punch, she's more than capable of playing Salander, "a woman who becomes both victim and aggressor."

Noomi Rapace: Though she's already (brilliantly) brought Salander to cinematic life, the Swedish actress says she has no interest in reprising the role in English. "I'm done with Lisbeth," she told the Los Angeles Times. "It's time for someone else to step into her shoes."

Sources: Deadline, IMDB, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, EW, Eonline, MTV News, The Daily Telegraph