‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ Sets October 2018 Release Date, But Rooney Mara Won’t Be Back As Lisbeth Salander

The rocky road to getting another Lisbeth Salander movie made is finally clearing up. Sony Pictures has announced “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” will begin production this September with a tentative release date scheduled for October 5, 2018.

“Don’t Breathe” director Fede Alvarez, who had been circling the project as early as last November, is officially on board. The news should prove exciting for fans of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series, though anyone who loved the 2011 adaptation “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” may be disappointed: David Fincher is only serving as executive producer and Rooney Mara is officially out as hacker Lisbeth Salander.

Related Stories

‘La Cocina’ Review: Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones Spice Up a Furious Drama Set in the Kitchen of a Times Square Tourist Trap

Rooney Mara Now Chooses Directors Carefully After ‘Some Bad Experiences’ — and a Good One with David Fincher

READ MORE: Rooney Mara Reveals Interest in ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ Sequel

Sony confirmed the adaptation will feature an entirely new cast, and they’re starting a global search for an actress to portray the lead role. This news also means Daniel Craig won’t be back as Mikael Blomkvist.

Despite the numerous efforts to get another Millennium series movie made, Mara had constantly expressed her love of the character and her interest in wanting to return to the role. “Yes, I’m still open to it but I’m not holding out hope any more,” she told ScreenDaily in September. Mara received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for tackling the role, but now she’s officially out of the role.

“I’m hugely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Alvarez said in an official statement. “Sony has become family to me and I can’t think of a more thrilling project to celebrate our relationship. Lisbeth Salander is the kind of character any director dreams of bringing to life.  We’ve got a great script and now comes the most fun part – finding our Lisbeth.”

Alvarez, Steven Knight and Jay Basu wrote the script, which is an adaptation of David Lagercrantz’s fifth novel in the series.

Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.