Kristen Wiig Might Play The 'Wonder Woman 2' Villain & Fans Are Like, Yes Please

A familiar name is potentially joining the cast of Wonder Woman 2: Kristen Wiig, who famously led the all-female team in the Ghostbusters remake. But if you’re looking for her to partner up with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in another team of heroines out to save the world, think again.

Warner Bros and DC are are in talks for Wiig to play opposite Gadot as the head villain, Cheetah, reported Deadline. With two women starring as the main characters, this could be exciting news for audiences who want an equally tough female to rival Wonder Woman, and all-around badass and symbol of women’s empowerment.

The hotly anticipated Wonder Woman sequel will reportedly take place in the 1980s during the Cold War, more than 50 years after the events of the first Wonder Woman movie, which was set during World War I. Wonder Woman was one of the biggest summer hits of 2017, grossing $410.5 million in the domestic box office only behind the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. The movie currently holds a 92 percent “Fresh” rating on film review site Rotten Tomatoes. DC fans already got a taste of Gadot’s Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman in the previous film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. After Wonder Woman, the Israeli actress reprised her role for Justice League, which was released later the same year.

Several individuals have taken on the role of Cheetah in the Wonder Woman comic book series. Wiig would most likely play Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, a British archaeologist who goes to great lengths to steal Wonder Woman’s golden lasso. The indestructible Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman’s primary weapon, forces anyone it ensnares to obey the wielder and tell the truth. Minerva’s origin story and transformation into Cheetah involves a jungle ritual gone wrong, but we’ll have to wait and see what background story the movie sequel will give Cheetah.

Wiig is mostly known as a comedic actress. A former Saturday Night Live cast mate, the entertainer won an Oscar nomination for co-writing the comedy Bridesmaids, her breakout film role. Her filmography includes Mother!, The Martian, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and lots more. The rumors of Wiig’s casting led some comic fans to question whether she has the chops to play a villain in an action movie. But others came to Wiig’s defense, pointing out the numerous roles she’s played in more serious movies.

Fans were also excited when it was confirmed that director Patty Jenkins will return to the helm.

Critics praised Jenkins for her work on the film, with essayists pointing out how Wonder Woman subverted the male gaze and common tropes for female characters in comic book movies. As Lelainie Seyffer at Hypable said, the camera work rejected opportunities for the movie to sexualize Diana: “When she emerges from the trenches of No Man’s Land, it is not as a sex symbol — it is as a symbol of hope and power,” she wrote. The movie wasn’t without its detractors, though: Filmmaker James Cameron called Wonder Woman a backward step for women.

But regardless if you liked the movie or not, Wonder Woman — the first ever individual movie for the iconic comic book heroine — was a game changer. A darling with both theatre-goers and critics, Wonder Woman‘s success proved that yes, female directors can make big-budget action movies and yes, a big-budget action movie starring a woman can still be a financial smash.

Following the tepid response to DC’s other comic book films, like Man of Steel and Suicide Squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Warner Bros made the next Wonder Woman movie a top priority.

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