Movie-goers got a surprise this weekend when the red-band trailer for David Fincher's American version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" dropped in theaters across the nation.

Although it was supposed to be confined to the cinema, this is the internet age and some wag recorded it with a smart phone and posted it online.

Of course, since the camera work is remarkably steady some are speculating the studios are behind the Youtube leak - but fans of the series don't care, the buzz about the forthcoming film has become deafening and it's certain to make a big splash now.

Fincher's version of the spooky tale stars Rooney Mara as The Girl and Daniel Craig as the journalist Mikael Blomkvist, the unlikely pair who embark on the trail of a serial killer.

The cast also includes heavyweights like Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Goran Visnjic and Christopher Plummer. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is scheduled to open on December 21.

The video clip has since been taken down by order of Sony Pictures but here is a clip of Rooney Mara practicing her motorbike skills on set.