I’m sure I’ll eventually be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed about David Fincher‘s decision to hire Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in his English-language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I don’t know what it is, but on some level she seems…I’m searching for the word. Opaque? Unremarkable? I’m not thinking off-pretty — she’s mildly attractive — as much as off-charismatic. I’m just not getting that Vivien Leigh voltage.

The fact that I’m a much bigger fan of her older sister, Kate Mara, makes me a fuddy-dud, I suppose.

Fincher knows Rooney Mara from a costarring role she’s played in The Social Network, which will have its big debut at September’s N.Y. Film Festival.

The adaptation of the Dragon Tattoo flick, to be produced by Scott Rudin, is based on an adaptation by Steve Zaillian. Shooting will reportedly begin next month in Sweden. Vait…in Sveden? So the actors in Fincher’s film are going to talk Eenglish vith a Max von Sydow or Liv Ullman accent?

Because the Salander casting is a matter of some importance to millions of fans of Stieg Larsson‘s “The Girl…” trilogy doesn’t mean it’s all that big of a deal from a Movie Godz perspective. A tough bisexual girl who’s a genius with digging stuff up online and finagling computer code = tough-assery and empowerment. Well and good. But it’s a big deal because of the money, because of the 40 million copies sold in 44 countries and blah, blah. If there’s something else going on here, I’d like to know what it is.