Wonder Woman 1984 is set to add something new and fresh to the DC Extended Universe, as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) goes on an epic adventure in the 1980s. The film’s first trailer showcased just a few of those elements, including Kristen Wiig‘s Barbara Ann Minerva, who will eventually become the iconic adversary Cheetah. While Wiig – who is best known for comedic roles in Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids – initially seemed like an unconventional choice, it sounds like that played a role in why she was cast. During the film’s recent panel at CCXP Brazil, WW84 director Patty Jenkins spoke about bringing Wiig on for the role, and hinted that audiences will get to see multiple sides of her throughout the film.
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“We were super fans of Kristen, and we love how funny she is, but I’ve also been a huge admirer of what a great actress she is for a long time,” Jenkins explained. “So when we needed someone to go all the way from one end of the spectrum of being funny, sweet Diana’s friend, all the way to a totally different place, we knew that Kristen Wiig would kill it, and she went beyond our wildest dreams.”
While audiences (understandably) didn’t get to see Cheetah’s final form in the first WW84 trailer, they did get to see a bit of her relationship with Diana, and how both of them fit into the retro setting.
“Why 1984?,” Jenkins explained during the same convention. “We wanted to bring Diana into the modern world, but the ’80s is a period that Wonder Woman is quite synonymous with. So it was great to see her there, but most importantly, it’s sort of the height of Western civilization and the success of the world that we all live in in the aftermath of now. So I was curious to collide our Wonder Woman into the height of our current modern belief system, and what kind of villains come out of that, and see what happens. So it all came quite naturally.”
Are you excited to see Kristen Wiig play Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Upcoming DC movies include Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, Black Adam on December 22, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.
