Mara, Marked

I've seen and dissected the entire Scandinavian "Millenium" trilogy, so visions of Lisbeth Salander are not only nothing new, they're embedded in my noggin. Funny, then, that W magazine's cover shot of Rooney Mara as David Fincher's Salander still managed to elicit a "holy s*%#!" response from me.

It's a striking makeover, and would be regardless of who lies beneath the piercings, tats and leather.

After scolding American audiences for brushing aside the Swedish flicks in favor of the Hollywood-remake hubbub, I'll admit I'm officially looking forward to Fincher's interpretation. I really enjoyed Mara in "The Social Network" (which erased the memory of her lousy work in "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), and the news of Trent Reznor tackling the score is good news indeed (Hey, when it works, it works).

However, there is indeed a very discouraging thought racing through my head: Assuming "Dragon Tattoo" is embraced in a fashion similar to Fincher's other recent work, could you imagine if Mara garnered awards attention after Noomi Rapace got shafted? What a crushing blow that would be.

To check out W's full Rooney Mara gallery, CLICK HERE.