The casting has not come particularly quick or easy for the Spike Lee directed remake of the Korean thriller Oldboy.

Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Men In Black III) locked in as the lead character quite early in the process but the quest for a villain so far has involved names ranging from Christian Bale to  Clive Owen, with even Colin Firth being in the mix. All have passed for various reasons and the search continues.

Filling the role of Brolin’s love interest, Marie, has been an equally difficult task. Both Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska have been offered and rejected the part of the female lead role. It is now being reported that the role of Marie has been offered to Elizabeth Olsen.

The film follows an average man who is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, he soon finds out that his kidnapper has a greater plan for him and is set onto a path of pain and suffering in an attempt to uncover the motive of his mysterious tormentor.

The lesser known Olsen sister, Elizabeth seemingly sprang out of nowhere at Sundance 2011 to become one of America’s most sought after young actresses thanks to parts in the soon to be released Silent House and the under the radar film Martha Marcy May Marlene. With three other projects listed to start in 2013, she’s not going away anytime soon. She’s also got a sizable gap in her schedule before those projects are due to start, which makes this a very plausible option.

Those who caught Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig get in all kinds of trouble in the American remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo probably left the theater wanting more. And even though the film didn’t do very well in theaters, they’ll be getting just that.

Entertainment Weekly brings us the exclusive.

According to Sony, the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is still moving forward despite the lingering perception that Dragon Tattoo has underperformed. “[Dragon Tattoo] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book,” a Sony rep tells EW.

In November, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal told us that The Girl Who Played With Fire was definitely a go, with a targeted late-2013 release date.

But Dragon Tattoo, which has grossed $60 million in the U.S. since its release on Dec. 20, is being perceived as something of a box-office disappointment (although moviegoers are enthusiastic — it received an A from audience-survey firm CinemaScore — and it seems to be holding up well over time as it chugs toward the $100 million mark).

So if you haven’t seen the film yet, you had better rush out while it’s still in your local theaters. And if you have, and don’t feel like waiting a year+ for more, check out the original Swedish trilogy on Instant Netflix today.

Today, Sony released the second trailer for David Fincher’s Americanization of the Stieg Larsson novel and Swedish movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yes, I know, we don’t usually like remakes around here, especially of perfectly good movies that only came out a coupler years ago.

Let Me In I’m talking to you. However, when we take into consideration the people involved in this production, we have to give it a chance.

After all, the film is directed by David Fincher, written by Steve Zallian and has music by Trent Reznor. Plus, it stars Daniel Craig and the talented Rooney Mara who was terrific in Fincher’s The Social Network.

And then we’ve got this new trailer. If you have any doubts this movie is going to be very good indeed, this new trailer should put those to rest.

Check out the trailer after the break. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo arrives in theaters on December 21.

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The idea of viral marketing is an illusive and mysterious beast to master. Disney has been vying for the attention of the masses with their viral campaign to promote the upcoming Muppet movie, and we have a sneaking suspicion MGM and Columbia are trying to do the same with an alleged “leaked” red band trailer for David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The film is the beginning of a series of films based on Stieg Larsson‘s Millenium Series which were adapted into successful Swedish films. Fincher is now taking a swing at the source material with his own adaptation. Here’s the breakdown of the film’s synopsis.

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate.

When the pair link Harriet’s disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

Fincher’s film stars Rooney Mara, who is expected to skyrocket into stardom with this franchise. Check out the trailer after the jump.

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After a parade of Hollywood A-list actresses openly campaigned for the highly sought after role of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo book series, a relative unknown ended up being cast. Sony is reporting that actress Rooney Mara has been chosen to portray the prickly, troubled character.

Rooney Mara has worked with director David Fincher before, on the upcoming fall release The Social Network. She appeared in Youth in Revolt and played Nancy in the recent remake of  Nightmare on Elm Street.

Acting runs in the family, sister Kate Mara has appeared in Brokeback Mountain, 24, Entourage, and Iron Man 2. This is a role with huge potential.  The movie will most certainly lead to sequels, as there are three books in the  wildly popular “Girl” series written by Stieg Larsson.  To date, the trilogy of books has sold over 40 Million copies worldwide.

The (anti) herione of the series is a deeply troubled, but brilliant, computer hacker boasting a plethora of tattoos, shorn locks and a seriously hard edge. Mara looks a little too soft and lovely for the role, but I am sure they can toughen her up a bit.

Fincher must be convinced, because everyone has auditioned for the role, including Scarlett Johansson, Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, and Natalie Portman. This has been referred to as the biggest casting quest since the search for Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind. Mara will play opposite Daniel Craig in the film which expects to shoot later this year for a 2011 release.

When Platinum Dunes announced plans to remake the original Nightmare on Elm Street, I had mixed feelings. I was a fan of the original series, and watched all seven movies. I even watched that dreadful Friday night program Freddy’s Nightmares. I guess you could say I have a soft spot for the film series.

However, when Jackie Earle Haley was announced as the new Freddy Krueger, he was fresh off an electrifying performance as Rorschach in Watchmen, and I was officially on board with the remake. I couldn’t think of anyone better to step into the role previously played by Robert Englund.

So while watching the remake, I was surprised at how odd it was to see someone else play the role. I didn’t dislike Jackie Earle Haley’s performance (though I do wish he hadn’t sounded exactly like Rorshach), but I guess I didn’t realize that Robert Englund had become synonymous with Freddy Krueger in my mind.

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Are you excited for the remake of the horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street? If so, this post is for you. Today, a new poster for the remake was relased into the wild at MySpace and features a better look at Jackie Earle Haley in the iconic role of your worst nightmare Freddy Krueger.

As you probably know, the original film was directed by horror legend Wes Craven and released in 1984. It spawned several sequels and imitators and propelled the character of Freddy Kruger into infamy. The remake, which is directed by Samuel Bayer and hits theaters on April 30, features Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy, and Thomas Dekker as a group of suburban teens being haunted and killed in their sleep.

Even though I’m not always a big fan of remakes, this one looks pretty darn cool. More and more Haley seems like an inspired choice to take over as Freddy Kruger. If he brings to the role the killer intensity he showed as Rorchasch in Watchmen, he might just be able to pull it off. The more I see of the new film, the more I hope he can.

Click through for a look at the full poster. Seeing this, what do you guys think of Haley as Freddy Kruger and are you excited for the remake?

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