Kristen Wiig is best known as a comedic actor, after spending years on ‘Saturday Night Live’, and headlining such projects as ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Knocked Up’, and ‘MacGruber’. But she has also turned in her fair share of dramatic performances in more serious fare. Even so, it’s doubtful that anyone saw her casting as a comic book supervillain coming. Even so, fans got their first glimpse of her as Barbara Minerva in the trailer for ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, which dropped over the weekend. As comic readers know, Minerva starts out as a kind person before being overcome by evil forces which transform her into the half-human, half-feline Cheetah.
Director Patty Jenkins addressed the casting process while onstage at Brazil’s CCXP, saying:
“We were super fans of Kristen, and we love how funny she is, but also I’ve been a huge admirer of what a great actress she is for a long time. 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.”
Unfortunately, fans didn’t get a look at Wiig in full beast mode. (Possibly because the visual effects haven’t been completed yet.) But previous versions of The Cheetah in the comics have simply been evil women in spotted costumes, not animal hybrids. It’s possible that Wiig’s portrayal will cross the spectrum.
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In the trailer, she comes across as mild-mannered, but in her character poster, she looks a bit more savage, with heavy eye makeup, ripped tights, and a spiked leather jacket in snakeskin print. So maybe that’s her first stop on the trip to full she-beast.
Wiig co-stars with Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and Pedro Pascal in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, which claws its way into theaters on June 5, 2020.
Are you looking forward to seeing Wiig in a supervillain role?
Source: Cinema Blend
