Every great filmmaker needs a muse. Martin Scorsese had Robert De Niro, David Lynch has Laura Dern, Quentin Tarantino has Uma Thurman. Now the brilliant and talented director David Fincher has found his muse in Rooney Mara. He directed her smaller part in The Social Network, and then the next year helped her win a Best Actress nomination for her chilling work in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Now they are likely to reunite for Red Sparrow, based on the novel by Jason Matthews.

Mara will star as Dominika Egorova, a Russian intelligence officer specially trained to become a seductress, commonly known as a sparrow, against her will. She is set upon by an American intelligence officer, and a battle of wits and power begins.

Fincher is currently loving the cinematic spotlight thanks to his adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel Gone Girl, which will be released later this year.

There is no word yet on when Fincher and Mara will move forward with the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. For now, at least, they are choosing to pursue Red Sparrow over the sequel.