Rooney Mara is set to continue in the role of Lisbeth Salander in the 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' franchise.

Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara

The 39-year-old actress had been widely expected to give up the part, with Alicia Vikander stepping into the role, but it's now been reported Rooney is actually set to continue as the hacker heroine.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "No one is officially attached to the new film except writer Steven Knight.

"For all parties [involved], Rooney is in position to continue the franchise - that is the truth."

Meanwhile, another insider said the competition for the coveted role had led to bad blood between the actresses off-screen.

The source said: "It's gotten very competitive between Rooney and Alicia, and reached a boiling point."

This comes shortly after Rooney spoke out about the gender pay gap in Hollywood, admitting she's just "grateful" she works in the film industry.

Rooney said: "I've been in films where I've found out my male co-star got paid double what I got paid, and it's just a reality of the time that we live in.

"To me, it's frustrating, but at the same time, I'm just grateful to be getting paid at all for what I do."