Director Fede Alvarez, best known for "Evil Dead" and "Don't Breathe", is not new to reboots but "The Girl in the Spider's Web" presented a different challenge with its well established legacy in literature as well as in cinema.
Starring "The Crown" star Claire Foy as the Swedish vigilante hacker Lisbeth Salander, the film is based on Steig Larsson's famous heroine but not on the original three books he wrote. His film is based on the fourth book in the Millennium series, which was written by David Lagercrantz.
The first three books have been adapted in Swedish cinema. In 2011, David Fincher tackled its Hollywood counterpart for Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is also behind this new take.
But Alvarez, 40, says his interpretation of Salander is different and a kind of an introduction to a new generation.
"It is like a double-edged sword. There is a great part that makes it easier which is that you are going to bring a character to the screen that has been tested and I knew if I am faithful to the book, it will resonate with the world.
"But we forget how fast time goes by. A woman in her 20s will come out and watch the film because she was just 12 when the Fincher's movie came out. I make films for new audiences. This is a completely different film," he told PTI in an interview over phone ahead of the film's release in India this Friday.
The film also features Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks and Claes Bang in pivotal roles.
The Uruguayan director said his feature debut was also a reboot and he understands that critics will always compare a film to the last version but it is something that the audiences don't bother about.
"My first movie was an adaptation of another movie and at that time people compared it with the other one and judged it, which is silly. It makes no sense to the audiences, who don't care about it. For them, they either like it or don't like it."
Alvarez brings a certain pulpy element to his stories and he wanted to present Salander, a female voice that has become an important element in the post #MeToo era, as someone inspiring, sort of a Greek mythological figure.
"Obviously, it is relevant. It is really in sync with the times, though it was created long back. The character is timeless in a way. I'm happy that I made this film because such characters, no matter how important they are, if you don't keep telling the stories, they vanish with time. A generation goes by and people forget about them. So for me, it's important that you keep bringing them back," he said.
"Good characters inspire people and they make you think that if she can do this, then I also can do it because she is not big or super powerful or strong, she just has endless will and a really good moral compass. Big characters like that in fiction are really inspiring."
Foy became an international star with her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown" but some might find it hard to imagine her as an avenging angel, a perception that Alvarez was happy to challenge.
"I, personally, don't look at the superficial like what kind of movies they did last. When people say 'Oh, what a great cast', a lot of times it means that you have seen them in similar things. I prefer to take a more classic approach to movie making that you find a good actor and a great actor will play anything -- a boxer, a cowboy, a gentleman, it doesn't matter.
"But lately because of social media, people know a lot more about actors and a lot more about their private life. They tend to have a strong opinion about who the actors are and so they go like 'This makes no sense'."
The one element that is similar to both the characters of Foy is their ability to emote without using the words.
"For me, Lisbeth is someone who is not really open about her emotions and the Queen in the show is also never allowed to speak her mind. But Claire has played her in a way that you know what is going on in her heart and mind.
"I needed an actor who has the ability to communicate to the audience. That's more important than looking the part, which can be easily changed," he added.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
