After a slew of roles were recently cast , Jessica Biel has become the latest name to join Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine .
Biel will play Viper, who'll be familiar to fans of the comic. Also known as Madame Hydra, Viper has been an enemy to both the Avengers and the X-Men , and she has had an allegiance to the Silver Samurai, which will see her slot nicely into the sequel's Japan setting.
Snaky in more than just name, Viper's loyalties have been known to wobble, giving her something of a Catwoman 'friend-or-foe' duality.
The Wolverine picks up with the amnesiac antihero in Japan. Not only will this provide the opportunity for some insanely cool bad guys and spectacular backdrops, it's also a way of getting some distance from the shambolic X-Men Origins: Wolverine .
Jackman and director James Mangold have previously compared the movie to westerns like The Outlaw Josey Wales , hinting that the definitively titled sequel will have a standalone quality.
This isn't Biel's first dalliance with a Marvel property: she appeared with Origins actor Ryan Reynolds in Blade: Trinity .
After a series of delays, The Wolverine is gearing up to begin shooting, and is scheduled to open on 26 July 2013.
