Claire Foy Stars In The New ‘Girl In The Spider’s Web’ Trailer & Things Get Super Intense

Hollywood actors are often at their best when completely unrecognizable — it removes the "Hey, isn't that so-and-so?" element from watching the world's most famous people do their jobs. And once you watch Claire Foy as Lisbeth Salander in the first Girl In The Spider's Web trailer, you'll probably never watch The Crown the same way again. The latest adaptation of Swedish author Stieg Larsson's Millennium series stars Foy as the vigilante-slash-hacker Lisbeth Salander, one who rides a motorcycle, has a fearsome look, and made a name for herself by going after men that harm women. It would appear that her past is catching up with her in this particular film, though. And is it in a spooky way? Of course, it is.

After showcasing Salander as she destroys, bankrupts, and blackmails a corrupt and abusive businessman, the new trailer settles into a more predictable format. Someone from her shadowy past — a woman wearing bright red clothing, which stands out in the bleak Swedish landscape — has returned, and she's an obvious threat to the heroine. Except it's not quite clear how.

Warning: The trailer contains dialogue and imagery suggesting domestic violence that some viewers may find triggering.

It's true: Spiders are never trapped by webs of their own creation. Until now, perhaps. It's evident that the person Lisbeth Salander was prior to the time audiences came to know her left some drama in her wake — even casualties. Without knowing more about the character in red, her name, or her purpose, it's still clear to audiences that she's one of the chief antagonists of the film. But what happened with the vigilante hacker and this woman? What summoned her to Lisbeth now? Who is the spider, and where is the web, in this situation? If you have the chills, you're not alone.

Same for if you're feeling a little confused about all of this. ScreenRant helpfully points out the history of how this Lisbeth Salander film made it to theaters — and why it's unrelated to the series that have come before it. Actor Noomi Rapace first snagged the lead role for a trio of films in Stieg Larsson's native Sweden. By the time Hollywood remade the series, Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig were cast in leading roles. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was released in 2011, in English, and directed by David Fincher — but the sequels in the "Millennium Trilogy" never materialized.

The studio's solution? Relaunch the franchise, with all-new stars, directors, producers, and even source material. Cast a gem like Foy in the challenging lead role, make it a distinct storyline from Fincher's version (and the earlier Swedish edition) and boom: a cautiously relaunched franchise, and this time, starring more women.

The Girl in The Spider's Web is part of the Lisbeth Salander series of novels, but it wasn't written by their original author. Instead, this particular book was written by David Lagercrantz, whom ScreenRant noted has continued the series since Larsson's death. Foy is taking over the role of Salander from Mara, with Sverrir Gudnason replacing Craig in the Michael Blomkvist role. It also stars Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant, and more in supporting roles. So it might not be exactly what fans loved about Fincher's adaptation, but it's certainly going to be something.

The release date for The Girl in The Spider's Web is listed as Nov. 9, 2018, right around Thanksgiving (a popular time for studios to premiere big-budget flicks). That said, a happy holiday family film this is not. Unless you have one heck of a family.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org.