Claire Foy to Portray Lisbeth Salander In Sony Pictures THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

The coveted role of Lisbeth Salander has been set: Sony Pictures Entertainment has confirmed that the studio has tapped Claire Foy to portray the heroine in THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB. The new installment of Sony Pictures' Millennium franchise based on the worldwide literary phenomenon originated by Stieg Larsson and continued by David Lagercrantz will commence production in January in Berlin and Stockholm, and the film will be released onOctober 19, 2018.

Today's confirmation culminates what has been one of this year's most eagerly anticipated casting announcements. After much speculation about who would be chosen to lead the franchise's next chapter, Foy is now preparing to takeit on.

The film will team Foy and director Fede Alvarez, who recently took the thrillerDon't Breatheto over $150 million worldwide and revived theEvil Deadfranchise. Alvarez has been hailed asan inventive and stylish new filmmaker.The Girl in the Spider's Webteams him with Foy,who has becomeone ofthe mostin-demand actresses.

Alvarez said, "I couldn't be more thrilled about Claire taking the reins of the iconic Lisbeth Salander. Claire is an incredible, rare talent who will inject a new and exciting life into Lisbeth. I can't wait to bring this new story to a worldwide audience, with Claire Foy at its center."

Foy is nominated for an Emmy atthisweekend's 69th Primetime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in the hit Netflix series "The Crown," from Sony Pictures Television. She previously won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for the role. Foy also recently starred in "Wolf Hall" as Anne Boleyn. She just completed Steven Soderbergh's experimental film,Unsane, and will begin work thismonthopposite Ryan Gosling onFirst Manfor director Damien Chazelle.

The screenplay is by Steven Knight and Fede Alvarez & Jay Basu, based on the global bestseller written by David Lagercrantz. Amy Pascal and Elizabeth Cantillonwill joinScott Rudin and Yellow Birdin producing the franchise's new film.

The Girl in the Spider's Webwill bethe first in the best-selling series to be produced into an English-language film in its initial adaptation. The previous books in the series have been adapted into Swedish-language films, andThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoowas a remake of the Swedish film. It became a global hit for Columbia Pictures, taking in over $230 million worldwide.

The studio continues its development of the next book in the Millennium series,The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, which was released this week. Sony's Columbia Pictures retains the rights to all future Millennium Series books.

The Millennium Series is a worldwide bestseller, with the four books selling over 86 million copies since their debut.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE's Motion Picture Group includes film labels Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com.

SOURCE Sony Pictures Entertainment

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