Long-Awaited Update on Girl With The Dragon Tattoo TV Show Finally Released After 3-Year Wait

Summary

Amazon MGM Studios has made progress in its long-awaited television adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by announcing Veena Sud as the showrunner.

Instead of retelling the books that have already been adapted for the screen, the new TV series based on the popular Millennium novels may feature a unique story focused on Lisbeth Salander. The disappointing response to the 2018 film adaptation, The Girl in the Spider's Web, has led to a fresh approach for the franchise. Sud's expertise in adapting foreign material raises the potential for revitalizing the series.

After more than three years since its initial announcement, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo television series has finally found a showrunner. The series is based on the popular Millennium novels by Swedish author Stieg Larsson and was previously adapted into a Swedish film trilogy in 2009. In 2011, David Fincher attempted his own US adaptation of the first book, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. However, the 2018 sequel/quasi-reboot, The Girl in the Spider's Web, recast both roles under the direction of Fede Álvarez. In May 2020, Amazon announced a fresh TV reboot.

According to Variety, Amazon MGM Studios is now moving forward with its long-awaited plans for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo television adaptation, with Veena Sud announced as the showrunner. Sud is no stranger to adapting foreign crime dramas, previously leading AMC's crime drama The Killing, which was itself an adaptation of the Danish series Forbrydelsen. She also wrote and directed the 2018 psychological horror film, The Lie, based on the German movie Wir Monster.

What Story Will The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo TV Show Follow?

The show's working title, which pays homage to Larsson's original English title for his first book, may lead audiences to expect that this new adaptation will explore the source material, retell a story that has already been adapted for the screen, and progress through the subsequent novels. Larsson wrote three books before his death in 2004, and the Millennium series was later expanded by David Lagercrantz and Karin Smirnoff, resulting in a total of seven books to draw inspiration from.

However, when The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo television series was announced in 2020, it was surprisingly suggested that the show would feature an entirely original story focused on the character of the reclusive computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander. This character was previously portrayed by actors such as Noomi Rapace, Rooney Mara, and Claire Foy. It is currently uncertain if other characters from the Millennium novels, such as Mikael Blomkvist, the investigative journalist played by Daniel Craig, will be included in this new adaptation.

Following the disappointing box office performance and negative reception of 2018's The Girl in the Spider's Web, this new approach has the potential to revitalize the franchise. Sud has demonstrated her skill in successfully adapting foreign content for English-speaking audiences, and hopefully, her upcoming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series will address the flaws of the previous lackluster installment.