Wonder Woman 1984 will see the titular Amazonian Princess going up against two foes: Pedro Pascal's Maxwell Lord and Barbara Minerva, who will become the feral Cheetah. For Kristen Wiig, her role as Cheetah was a dream come true.
"I'm a superhero nerd, so this is my dream. I've always wanted to have superpowers," Wiig told InStyle's Laura Brown in an interview. "I went out to London to test for it, which was one of the most nerve-racking things of my life." The actor then recalled that she met with director Patty Jenkins for drinks. She continued, "I didn't hear anything for a while when I got home, so I flipped out when I got the part."
Wiig went on to say, "I never thought I'd get the chance to be in one of those movies — I'm in my 40s, and I'm not known for being this type of actor," a sentiment she evidently kept in mind while filming, "I would look around the set and think, 'I can't believe I'm in this.'"
The upcoming film will see Minerva introduced as one of Diana Prince's colleagues, who later turns from friend to foe, allying herself with Maxwell Lord. While her comic book counterpart is known as the ferocious Cheetah, her animal form has been notably absent in marketing material, though a recent clip teased that she will become an apex predator.
Directed and co-written by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal and Natasha Rothwell. The film arrives in theaters Oct. 2.