Us internet folk jumped the collective gun when, last week, rumors swirled that Jessica Biel would find herself in a major Wolverine role. Can you entirely blame us? These “in talks” things almost always lead directly to a signed contract; it’s just the way those pan out.

It wasn’t meant to be, and Twitch now reports that Svetlana Khodchenkova (who left quite the impression in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) is now negotiating to take on Viper, a mysterious Russian killer engaged in a love-hate relationship with the clawed superhero. We suspected that, with Tao Okamoto playing his love interest, Mariko, Viper might be an aide to the evil Silver Samurai in James Mangold‘s film; she even tried to kill the Japanese dame at one point in the comics, to boot.

So, that’s probably another role marked down for the soon-to-shoot sequel. I’d certainly prefer if Khodchenkova would do some English-language films that have a little more pedigree behind them — call me a snob! really! — so I’ll wear my optimist cap and maintain the thought that this (likely harmless) X-Men movie can open doors a little bit more. And, hey, if her Tinker Tailor work wasn’t just some fluke, the superhero sequel will still have an interesting and memorable performance at its center.

The Wolverine will open on July 26th, 2013.

Is replacing Biel with Khodchenkova a reasonable choice? Have you seen any of her work?