Stellan Skarsgård thinks Rooney Mara will “do something beautiful” in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The 59-year-old Swedish actor will portray Martin Vanger in the thriller, which is set for release in 2011 and also stars 25-year-old newcomer Rooney and British heartthrob Daniel Craig as the two lead characters. It is based on the first novel in a trilogy by deceased Swedish author Stieg Larsson, and tells the story of computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist as they embark on solving a gruesome crime together.

There has already been a Swedish movie adaptation of the novels starring Noomi Rapace in the role of Lisbeth, and although Stellan thinks Noomi gave an outstanding performance, he is sure Rooney will be just as successful.

“I’m convinced she can take it on. I’ve only had a few very short encounters with her. Most of my scenes are with Daniel Craig. But, I think she’s good enough,” he told Collider.“I think Noomi Rapace was fantastic, and this is another kind of Lisbeth Salander. I think [Rooney Mara] will do something beautiful with it.”

Stellan has found working with the film’s director David Fincher a wonderful experience, and admires his dedication. Although David pushes actors very hard, there is always plenty of time for fun on set.

“Yeah, I’m having a lot of fun. David [Fincher] shoots constantly, and I don’t like to be in my trailer, so I’m really happy,” he beamed. “When you shoot with him, he does 35 or 40 takes of almost every set up. Since he rolls all the time, it’s fine. You just get more and more energy from working with that drive. He’s a very good director, so I’m really having fun.”