Seven things to know about 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

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Already an international sensation, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or Man som hatar kvinnor, the Swedish title, has earned $100 million in Europe and it is finally releasing in other parts of the world, including the UK last weekend and the US on Friday, March 19.

Based on the international best-selling thriller by the late Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson, it stars Noomi Rapace and Nils Bjurman in a crime story of a womanizing journalist and a punk female hacker, with themes of mass murder, scandals and violence against women.

Also known as Millennium: Part 1 - Men Who Hate Women, and the respective translations, for instance, in Spanish, it is called Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres. On March 25, it releases in Australia and Brazil.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the first book in the Millennium trilogy of novels and has been published in 37 languages. The title hit number one on the New York Times best-seller list - the first time in 20 years that a translated author reached the top. The follow-up novels are called The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Despite the big buzz, if the foreign language film with subtitles is not a huge hit at the box office in America, it has another possible life. Film producer Scott Rudin ( No Country for Old Men) acquired the US film rights to the Millennium books. Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian ( Schindler's List) is currently working on another version of "Dragon Tatoo." Director David Fincher ( The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club) is considering remaking the film and is mulling over Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan ( An Education) for the titular role, as the young woman.

The original film's Danish director, Niels Arden Oplev, recently moved to the US to take on English-language films. Though he will not redo Dragon Tattoo, he is currently considering a few offers.

One of the top-selling authors in the world, Larsson's success has happened since his death in 2004. His companion, architect Eva Gabrielsson, is in dispute with his father and brother over his literary estate. A possible fourth novel, or partial manuscript, is held up in the legal process. She has posted a website, ‘The Man Behind Lisbeth Salander:' http://www.stieglarsson.com

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlF-hk3IJQE

RC