If you were watching the web last week, you may well have seen an intriguing comic book movie casting rumour: Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig was strongly linked to the villainous role of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 2. Now, that story has developed a little, with the revelation that Wiig may not have been Warner Bros and DC Entertainment’s top choice for the role: that honour, apparently, fell to La La Land and Birdman alum Emma Stone.
According to Variety reporter Justin Kroll, the studio “originally went out to Emma Stone”. After Stone said no to the role, Wonder Woman 2’s writer/producer/director Patty Jenkins “personally picked Wiig as her choice for Cheetah”. If you were wondering, Cheetah is a classic Wonder Woman foe from the comics, who gains super strength and numerous other abilities from a ritual involving a Cheetah god.
Emma Stone has prior form with comic book movies, of course, having starred alongside Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. Wiig is a newcomer to this burgeoning cinematic subgenre, but she is no stranger to sci-fi, having starred in Ghostbusters, The Martian and Paul.
Wonder Woman 2 is believed to be set predominantly in the 1980s, with something of a Cold War vibe. The film has an American release date of November 1st 2019. One assumes that Jenkins will want to get the cast nailed down ASAP so that shooting can begin.
More as we hear it.