Flavorwire

Now that the ever-so-eagerly anticipated David Fincher adaptation of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is out in theaters, fans of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy have had the chance to see how Fincher’s take stacks up — not just against the books, but against the previous Swedish film version, and more specifically in the representation of iconic heroine Lisbeth Salander. The role was played in the original films by Noomi Rapace (currently appearing in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows); for the American films, Rooney Mara takes over.

Who’s better in the role? It’s a tricky question — and one that comes up every time multiple actors take their turns playing a beloved literary character. The critics have weighed in on who plays Lisbeth better, but after the jump, we’ll take a look at ten previous cases of “different actor, same role.”

ROLE: James Bond
WHO PLAYED IT: Sean Connery (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again), David Niven (Casino Royale, 1967 version) George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Roger Moore (Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, License to Kill), Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, 2006 version, Quantum of Solace)
WHO PLAYED IT BETTER: Any time the question of the best Bond pops up, we always get a little confused — wasn’t this decided years ago? Make no mistake, Roger Moore had his moments, Brosnan managed to transcend the mostly-terrible scripts he was stuck with, and Craig has certainly redefined the role and made it his own. But seriously, there are people who don’t think Connery was the best Bond? If you’ll pardon the Seinfeldism, who are these people?