David Oyelowo is set to lead the cast in Sky's new series The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, alongside rising star Viola Prettejohn, known for playing young Princess Elizabeth in the sixth season of The Crown.
The eight-part Sky Original is an adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling Millennium novels. It could appeal to viewers who enjoyed shows such as The Fall and The Capture, with a dark mystery, complex characters and a dangerous investigation at its heart.
Cast and Story Details
David, known for his roles in Selma and Interstellar, will take on the role of investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Viola Prettejohn will play Lisbeth Salander, the brilliant but troubled hacker at the centre of Larsson's story.
The story follows Blomkvist as he is hired by wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet. Harriet vanished more than 30 years earlier from the Vanger family's isolated island home, but Henrik remains convinced that a member of his own family was responsible.
Adaptation and Legacy
Blomkvist soon teams up with Salander, an exceptionally talented hacker with a complicated past and a fierce determination to uncover the truth. Together, they begin to uncover secrets buried within the Vanger family, leading them towards a far more dangerous mystery than they initially expected.
The new adaptation will bring Larsson's story into the modern day, exploring themes including power, misogyny, secrecy and technology. The original novel was published in 2005 and went on to become an international bestseller. The Millennium books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and have already been adapted for both Swedish and English-language audiences. The first English-language film adaptation was released in 2011 and starred Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Salander, with David Fincher directing.
Production and Release
The new Sky series will offer a fresh interpretation of the characters and story for a new audience and comes from Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind The Crown and The Day of the Jackal.
Meghan Lyvers, Managing Director, Scripted Originals, Sky, said: “Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are two of modern fiction’s most iconic and compelling characters, and we’re thrilled to have Viola and David bringing them to life for a new generation.” She added: “Our brilliant writing team, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s bold vision and our fantastic partners at Left Bank Pictures are creating a series that honours everything audiences love about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, while taking its characters, mystery and themes into a world that feels unmistakably of the moment. We can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
Filming is due to begin in Lithuania next month, with the series set to air on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland, as well as Sky platforms across Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
