We brought word a few weeks ago that Kristen Wiig was up for the role of the villainous Cheetah in Wonder Woman 2, and now director Patty Jenkins has moved to confirm that the actress will indeed play this longtime rival of the Amazon’s.

Taking to her Twitter account, Jenkins put out the below message:

Wiig is likely best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and efforts such as Whip ItBridesmaidsThe Secret Life of Walter MittyThe Skeleton TwinsSausage Party and the Ghostbusters reboot. Previously, it was believed that Emma Stone had actually been offered the Cheetah gig but turned it down.

For those not familiar with Cheetah, the first incarnation of the character debuted back in 1943’s Wonder Woman #6. The version of the rogue who is expected to appear in Wonder Woman 2 is the Barbara Minerva one. 1987’s Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #7 was when Minerva made her bow. A British archaeologist, she is gifted the powers of a cheetah by Urzkartaga – basically, a bizarre kind of plant god. With 2011’s ill-fated New 52 refresh of the DC Comics realm, Minerva was reimagined as a contemporary of Wonder Woman’s at times. This time possessed by the Goddess of Hunt, that’s how she becomes the supervillain Cheetah. Of course, DC wasn’t happy with just one do-over, and The New 52 was scrapped in favour of DC Rebirth in 2016. In that rehashed continuity, Cheetah is again given a fresh lick of paint. A well-travelled archaeologist, her fascination with the Amazons would see her become close friends with Diana and would even help her to learn English. Urzkartaga would again come in to play, this time actually marrying Barbara – and from there, she would become Cheetah and blame Diana for this whole transformation.

In addition to Gadot obviously returning for Wonder Woman 2, the film will also features Ewen Bremner’s Charlie, Said Taghmaoiu’s Sameer, and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Just how Trevor returns to action, we’ll have to wait and see. In terms of timeline, the latest news is that the sequel will take place in the 1980s and see Diana and Co. take on the Soviet Union.

At present, Wonder Woman 2 is set for a November 1st, 2019 release.

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