Pulled
out of talks to be female lead ... Hollywood actress Jessica Biel is no longer
in 'The Wolverine'. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Source:
Getty Images
The Daily Telegraph reports
Hugh Jackman is yet to find his female lead for the upcoming sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine - despite filming due to begin at Sydney's Fox Studios next week.
Jessica Biel, who is starring in the remake Total Recall, reportedly turned down the role after all but agreeing to play Viper in the Marvel franchise flick, according to US reports.
However, talks with director James Mangold are said to have dissolved recently, leaving Biel out and the role unfilled.
The setback comes just one week out from the start of filming and a few days out from an official press conference slated for Tuesday where Jackman and Prime Minister Julia Gillard will herald the beginning of shooting on the $80 million blockbuster.
"Obviously the director would like to fill that role as soon as possible given the film starts shooting in a week," said a source close to the flick.
"At this stage they're very close to a deal with a new actress."
It's understood a non-American actress - with a slightly lower profile than Biel - is now the frontrunner, raising the possibility a local actress will fill the role.
Biel's exit from the project came as somewhat of a surprise to those surrounding the project, with Justin Timberlake's fiance widely tipped as a certainty for the physical part.
Asked recently at the annual Comic-Con event in San Diego if she had signed on for the flick, Biel said: "That's not totally true. It's a little too early to say."
There was a similar turn of events in 2007, when Biel was in lengthy talks with Warner Bros to play the superhero Wonder Woman in a Justice League of America movie.
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