15 Years Later, No Sequels

15 years ago, one of the most exciting and intriguing films ever released by David Fincher arrived. The accomplished director had already done masterful work on Se7en, Fight Club, and The Social Network, but his next project was to adapt the acclaimed novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The Stieg Larsson novels had already been made into a trilogy of well-received Swedish films, so this was Fincher attempting to bring them to American audiences. The movie hit theaters and was a success with critics, yet struggled commercially, which means we were unfortunately never given the sequels we deserved.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Is Fincher At His Best

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of David Fincher’s best movies. His signature style was evident from the opening scene right up until the credits rolled. It’s the kind of movie that might be based on an existing property but fits right in with the rest of Fincher’s filmography.

The titular woman is Lisbeth Salander, a hacker who agrees to work with a journalist named Mikael Blomkvist to find out what happened to a young girl who went missing from a wealthy family four decades earlier. Together, the two uncover shocking secrets in one of the best mystery tales ever told.

While David Fincher’s career set a high bar thanks to the likes of The Game, The Social Network, and Gone Girl, just to name a few, it’s telling that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of his best works. The film sits at an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Rooney Mara was especially fantastic as Lisbeth Salander, completely embodying the character from both a physical and emotional standpoint. Her performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars and Golden Globes. Sadly, we never got to see her play Lisbeth again.

What Happened To The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s Sequels?

There’s a narrative that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a box office failure, though that’s not entirely true. It grossed $232 million, which is a solid number, though the budget of around $90 million made that a less impressive figure. Still, sequels have been greenlit for far less successful projects.

Fincher said there were plans to film the sequels, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, back to back. They were scheduled to be released starting in 2013, though there were script issues that led to delays. By 2014, Fincher claimed the new script was extremely different from the book.

A combination of things led to the sequels being canceled, including Fincher’s expressed desire to increase the budget. Instead, Sony rebooted things in 2018 with The Girl in the Spider’s Web, based on a sequel to the original books. It featured a new director, cast, and story, and was mostly forgotten about quickly.

The Original Swedish Adaptation Covered All Three Installments

A few years before David Fincher’s take on the story, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was adapted for Swedish audiences. Noomi Rapace took on the role of Lisbeth Salander and delivered some outstanding work as the now iconic character. Unlike the American adaptations, this story got to be told in full.

The first film grossed over $100 million on a budget of just $13 million, making it an undeniable hit. The sequels made less money but were still made on relatively small budgets, allowing them to be successful.

While there’s still debate on whether the Swedish or American version is better, getting to see the entire trilogy play out gives the Swedish film a boost. If we were able to see more from Fincher after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it could’ve been something truly special.