Gladiator star Connie Nielsen has been tapped to strap on her old toga and imperious, “I’m super used to people hitting each other with swords” expression once again, with the Danish actress signing on as the Amazonian queen—and mother of Gal Gadot’s lasso-and-shield-wielding hero—Hippolyta in Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment’s upcoming Wonder Woman movie. Nielsen—whose more recent roles include The Following and a recent guest-star stint on CBS’s The Good Wife—joins a cast that includes Gadot, Chris Pine, and Robin Wright in an as-yet unannounced role.
Hippolyta’s role in the comics has varied over the years; in some incarnations, she’s the loving, if cautious, leader of Themyscira, the magical homeland from which Wonder Woman ventures forth in her exploration of “Man’s World.” In others, she’s been shown as far more adventurous—appearing for a time as the “first” Wonder Woman—or xenophobic, launching an Amazon attack on the United States. Given that the new film is already playing fast and loose with comics continuity—at least, as far as its timeline is concerned—it remains to be seen which Hippolyta Nielsen will be playing when she arrives on screens next year.