Columbia Pictures has done a great job with their online efforts for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, somehow managing to run a viral campaign that was never overbearing, and never too revealing. Thing is, they have a tough task on their hands, trying to sell what will be viewed by many as a remake of a Swedish adaptation of the bestselling novel, and don’t think director David Fincher isn’t aware of this.
Speaking with the great fansite Fincher Fanatic (one I’ve had bookmarked for several years now), Fincher recently said, “I know we are playing into the European, and certainly the Swedish, predisposition that this is just a gigantic, monetary landgrab. You’re coopting a phenomenon. Now, there is plenty of reason to believe that we can make it equally entertaining of a movie. But the resentment is already engendered, in a weird way. It’s bizarre. But then there are British television shows, like ‘The Office,’ that are being remade as American television shows. And we speak the same f**ing language.”
As far as Fincher’s opinion of the original adaptation, which was directed by Niels Arden Oplev and was an obvious career kickstart for title star Noomi Rapace who will be seen in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows this month as well as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus next year, Fincher told USA Today, “It’s a great movie… I thought the original did a great job, given its [$15 million] budget.”
However, if you’re thinking this is a remake of that film, guess again. Fincher stresses, “[We] had to start with the book. That’s the wellspring of everything… I read it and thought, ‘Holy God, how do you compress this into a movie?'”
The lid is about to be lifted off David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in a big way next week as everyone, including myself, will be posting their reviews on December 13 in advance of the film’s December 21 release date. For now, however, check out an impressive viral video that introduces you to the story in a fascinating way.
Columbia has doctored up a fake news report from the old television show “Hard Copy”, treated it as if it were a VHS transfer and uploaded the 9-minute profile on the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, the character who went missing and set the events of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in motion.
And, by the way, you can check out the full Fincher Fanatic interview with David Fincher in PDF format right here.
