Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins confirmed via Twitter on March 9, 2018 that Kristen Wiig has been cast as Cheetah for the sequel.
“So excited to confirm the most thrilling news. Yes! It’s true! So incredibly lucky to welcome the sensationally talented Kristen Wiig to our Wonder Woman family. Can’t wait to finally work with one of my favorites. And so excited by what we have planned,” Jenkins tweeted.
The casting news is being met with enthusiasm and some skepticism. After all, Wiig is celebrated for her comedic talents on Saturday Night Live and on the big screen in movies like Bridesmaids and the remake of Ghostbusters. However, she showed her dramatic chops beside fellow funny man Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins and other projects.
Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, a/k/a Cheetah, was created by William Moulton Marston, with Minerva as the third iteration who debuted in Wonder Woman #7 (August 1987). In the current Rebirth comics, Cheetah is more of a tortured character than a straight up villain.
Minerva was called in to translate Diana’s unfamiliar language when she surfaced in our world. She became friends with Diana and Etta Candy, then traveled to study more about deities, but she became a pawn between demigods and evil humans, being turned into Cheetah.
Rumors had been circling that Wiig was Jenkins’ number one choice for the role of Cheetah. This marks the first official details about the sequel, though Jenkins had also stated that the movie would be different than the first film, rather than being formulaic and following the origin story. Wonder Woman seeks the best in humanity and her compassion could lead to a different kind of story with Cheetah if Jenkins and the writers go with the current iteration of Cheetah.
Warner Bros. confirmed that the second Wonder Woman solo film was in development at the 2017 Comic-Con International: San Diego and that it’s currently slated for a November 2019 release. Gal Gadot will be returning for the titular role and Jenkins has returned to direct, with Dave Callaham co-writing with Jenkins.
