2017 was a banner year for Wonder Woman, everyone’s favorite Amazon warrior princess. Her standalone film garnered critical and commercial success, becoming a cultural phenomenon. Now, casting is underway for the untitled sequel, and director Patty Jenkins is eyeing Kristen Wiig to play the villain in the film opposite Gal Gadot.
According to Deadline, Wiig is Warner Bros. top choice to play Wonder Woman’s friend-turned-foe, Cheetah. Plot details are scarce, but the DC comics sequel will reportedly be another period piece, set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the Cold War.
Co-created by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, Cheetah debuted in “Wonder Woman No. 6” in 1943. Canonically, four versions of the feline foe exist; as it currently stands, the mantle of Cheetah is held by British archaeologist Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva.
Wiig is a bona fide comedy darling. Her breakout role was “Bridesmaids”, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. However, she has shown her acting range in indies like” Hateship Loveship,” Welcome to Me,” and most notably opposite “Saturday Night Live” alum Bill Hader in “The Skeleton Twins,” in which she portrayed a self-destructive dental hygienist amid a midlife crisis.
It’s odd casting on paper but considering Wiig’s knack for blurring the line between drama and comedy and Jenkins’ deft direction of screwball-style scenes and old-fashioned drama in “Wonder Woman,” this could be a match made in Olympus.
Let’s hope Hera hears our prayers and makes this casting a reality.
The untitled “Wonder Woman” sequel is set to be released Nov. 1, 2019.