One bad thing about relying on other news sites for stories that appear here is that sometimes, other sites get it wrong. Last Friday, Deadline stated that Jessica Biel was cast as The Viper in The Wolverine. Not “might be cast” or “In talks for the role,” they said she was cast. Fair enough. We reported that as a fact here, expanding on the news as to the comic book origin of the character she would be playing and how she might fit into the film.
However, today, Collider has an exclusive stating that not only wasn’t Biel officially cast, but also that talks had broken down and she wouldn’t be playing the part at all. (For their part, Deadline has a terse, three sentence blurb admitting they were wrong.)
So, Jessica Biel will not be in The Wolverine, which might be all for the best. While I think Biel is an attractive and capable actress, when I think of The Viper, I think of a more exotic beauty in the role. I would think of someone like Morena Baccarin (Firefly, V, Homeland) or Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Ted). Or, for an oddball choice, Rachel Weisz. While she might be out of the film’s pay rate, and the ageist Hollywood system might not see someone 42 as being able to convincingly play a femme fatale, she has a similar, Eastern European lineage as the character (Weisz mother was of Austrian ancestry and her father of Hungarian), she has shown chemistry with Hugh Jackman (in The Fountain), has an Oscar on her shelf, and has comic book movie cred (from Constantine).
Just an idea. If thissounds good to you, Fox executives, no need to send money. Just a couple passes to the New York premiere would be fine.
