A big piece of the Angels and Demons casting puzzle has just been filled. According to Hollywood Insider, Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer has been cast as Vittoria Vetra for Angels and Demons.

The actress, who portrayed Eric Bana's wife in Munich and was most recently seen in Vantage Point, beat out several A-list names for the part, including Naomi Watts, who was rumored to be in talks for the role.

Zurer's Vetra character was instrumental in Dan Brown's pre-The Da Vinci Code novel that introduced us to Hanks' Robert Langdon character. After the death of Vetra's father, she aides Langdon in his quest to uncover a terrorist plot involving the secret society, The Illuminati, against the Catholic Church.

Production is back on track after the writers strike postponed the film. Ron Howard is directing and they are aiming at a June start date in Europe, with a release date set for May 15, 2009.

Angels & Demons was released May 15th, 2009 and stars Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Thure Lindhardt. The film is directed by Ron Howard.