KristenWiigis best known for her comedy chops, but as any fan ofThe Skeleton Twins(there aredozensof us) can tell you, the actress has no problem going dark when the role calls for it. Which is good news forWonder Womanfans, because theBridesmaidsstar and formerSNLcast member is in talks to take on the villain role inWonder Woman 2.
PerVariety, Wiig is the top choice to play the villainous role of Cheetah in the highly-anticipated sequel to WB’s superhero hit, which will reportedly pick up withGal Gadot’s Diana Prince in the 1980s during the Cold War. It took a while forPatty Jenkinsto close her momentous deal to return forWonder Woman 2, but the pieces finally fell into place and Jenkins is officially set to direct the sequel.
Jenkins also crafted the story withGeoff Johnsand co-wrote the screenplay with Johns and writerDavid Callaham(The Expendables). Word has it Jenkins always had Wiig high on her list for the villain part and expressed an interest to the actress before she left to location scout the sequel. “While it is currently unknown if Wiig is completely on board for the role,” the report notes, “a recent meeting between Wiig and top execs began to move things in the right direction.”
Cheetah is an OG Wonder Woman villain, created byWilliam Moulton Marstonin 1943 when she debuted inWonder Woman #6.A number of comic book characters have taken the mantle of the villainous role in the comics, including Priscilla Rich, Deborah Domaine, and most recently, Barbara Anne Minerva. According toThe Hashtag Show, who reported just days ago that Wonder Woman 2 would feature Cheetah as the primary villain, the film will focus on the latter, an archeologist and heiress who leads an expedition into Africa where she stumbles onto a ritual that gives her the powers of a cheetah god.
Wiig is certainly an unexpected pick to take on the part, but an intriguing one. As I hinted at earlier, she’s fantastic in her sympathetically twisted turn inThe Skeleton Twinsand she’s got the easy, endearing charm that so often makes for a good super-villain. And setting a female villain opposite Wonder Woman gives the franchise the opportunity to continue pioneering for representation both on-screen and behind-the-camera.
Wonder Woman 2is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 19, 2025.
