Rooney Mara lands lead role in ”The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

American actress Rooney Mara has bagged the lead role in the forthcoming film ”The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”.

Mara beat out a host of others, including British starlet Carey Mulligan to land the part.

Mara, 25, will play Lisbeth Salander, a fearless genius tormented by a terrible childhood, in the crime thriller based on the first book in Stieg Larsson”s bestselling series, reports the Telegraph.

Daniel Craig has been cast as journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who teams up with Salander to delve into a string of decades-old murders.

The Salander role went to Vivien Leigh.

David Fincher, who brought Fight Club to the big screen, is directing the film and he is said to have wanted an unknown actress.

The film begins shooting next month in Sweden and is due out in December 2011.