Director David Fincher's  announcement that little-known actress Rooney Mara would be starring in the American version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" prompted some head scratching. Granted, she rocked the killer put-down in "The Social Network" as Mark Zuckerberg's ex, but many wondered if she could she match the fierce toughness that actress Noomi Rapace brought to the Swedish version of the film. Wasn't she just too cute to pull it off?

That was then. Now, Mara is on the cover of W magazine, showing off her tattoos, piercings, bleached eyebrows and bloody hands. In the accompanying photo gallery, she's a world away from the sweet, long-haired girl we thought we knew. Check out the pictures and see if you agree that Mara might well be able to pull this off.