'Wonder Woman 2' Cast News, Release Date: Kristen Wiig Confirmed To Play Villain Cheetah

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Monday, March 12, 2018

"Wonder Woman 2" has added Kristen Wiig to its cast.

The confirmation comes from none other than director Patty Jenkins, who took to Twitter to announce that Wiig will be playing the villainous Cheetah.

"So excited to confirm the most thrilling news," she wrote in the caption, along with a photo of Wiig. "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."

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Rumors have been swirling since last month that Wiig was in negotiations to portray Cheetah, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Now, with Wiig's involvement all set, fans are wondering how she will play into the story.

For those who are unaware, in the comic books, Cheetah was brought to life by four different people — with one of them being male. With the casting of Wiig, there are only three iterations of the villain possible: Priscilla Rich, Deborah Domaine, and Barbara Ann Minerva.

Barbara, a British archeologist, is perhaps the alter ego with whom the Cheetah is most associated and the one Slash Film believes will be featured in the sequel. While in Africa, Barbara gains the powers of the Cheetah after the previous host, the guardian of a tribe, is killed. However, in a more recent version of the character, Barbara was rewritten as Diana's (Gal Gadot) close friend who becomes the Cheetah.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the official plot of the upcoming sequel, so there is no way of knowing which version of Barbara will be used. However, it is known that "Wonder Woman 2" will take place in the 1980s during the Cold War.

Given the timeline, it does not seem likely that Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) will return. As fans may know, Steve sacrificed himself in the first film, though Jenkins has previously flirted with the possibility of bringing him back from the dead.

"Wonder Woman 2" is set to premiere on Nov. 1, 2019.