Deadline is reporting that Daniel Craig has officially signed on to play journalist Mikael Blomkvist in the U.S. version of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo as well as its two sequels, bringing an end to months of speculation as to whether the plum role in one of the most anticipated film series in recent memory would go to the likes of fellow rumored candidates like Brad Pitt or Viggo Mortensen. However, those other names now seem like red herrings in light of all the bending over backwards being done to accommodate Craig’s schedule, who’s also tied both to Jon Favreau’s upcoming Cowboys And Aliens and the next, purely-hypothetical-at-this-point Bond film.
Director David Fincher and Scott Rudin are still looking for the lucky actress to inherit the star-making role of Lisbeth Salander; that list of candidates still includes Ellen Page, Mia Wasikowska, Emily Browning, Sara Snook, Rooney Mara, and Sophie Lowe. (Of course, said list was put together before this potentially game-changing announcement.)