Angels & Demons, Ron Howard’s prequel to The DaVinci Code has been shut down by the strike, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped them from casting the movie. The NY Post is reporting that Naomi Watts is set to join the cast opposite Tom Hanks.

It’s unclear exactly what part she’ll play in the film. Their story says only that it’s a “major role”. Maybe for those of you that have read the book, “major role” means more to you than it does to me. Since the film’s shooting date has been put off until at least some time next year, we’ll probably have awhile to wait before we find out what she’s doing in the movie.

At one point, Gisele Bundchen was reported to be playing one of the leading female roles in the film, that of an Italian woman named Vittoria. I have a hard time picturing Naomi pulling off Italian, so Gisele’s part is probably safe and we can rule Vittoria out for Watts.