Monday, July 21, 2008

Catwoman



Let's start with the most famous of the remaining enemies. Selina Kyle, Gotham socialite, lives a secret life as a costumed thief with a feline fetish who is on occasion involved romantically with Batman. Beyond that, her character has varied a lot over the years, and as you can see (from the cover of Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale), her costume has changed just as much. She's been a straight villain, a thief with a conscience, a protector of Gotham's East End, and briefly some kind of hooker dominatrix in Year One. See wikipedia for more.

Pros: Nothing against Rachel Dawes, but Bruce Wayne could use a stronger woman in his life. And Catwoman is as strong as it gets in Gotham. Catwoman is sexy, can hold her own in a fight, share's the Bat's fetish for tight fitting clothing, and lots of fun secret identity games can be played with Selina/Bruce and Batman/Catwoman. And without some of the goofiness factor that plagues a lot of Batman's villains, Catwoman would fit perfectly in the Gotham City of the Nolan Batman series.

Cons: The Halle Berry Catwoman stinker is too fresh in people's memories, and would probably scare Warner Bros. off the idea. The character has also been heavily exposed to the non-comic book community, having been played by Ms. Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, and Lee Meriweather. Plus, David S. Goyer, who wrote Batman Begins and gets a story credit on The Dark Knight, said he doesn't want to go with a villain who's already been in a movie. That doesn't mean it can't happen, since Goyer doesn't necessarily have final say on the matter, but it's certainly unlikely.

How I'd do it: Current Captain America writer Ed Brubaker and New Frontier's Darwyn Cooke revamped Catwoman in 2001 and it's been a top quality title ever since. Brubaker stayed on as writer for several years before handing over the reins to Will Pfeifer, who's done some excellent work of his own. I'd draw from their interpretation of the character. The more practical costume (center, above, with neither tail, heels, nor hooker boots), the antihero/thief who clashes with Batman's more strict morality, the protector of Gotham's street kids, junkies, and working girls.

Casting Guesses: Angelina Jolie (the default femme fatale choice these days) and Kate Beckinsale (she's already rocked a black catsuit a couple times) are the first women who come to mind, but they might be too obvious. I would very much like to stare at Megan Fox for a couple hours, but I'm not sure she can actually act. Carla Gugino would've been perfect a few years ago, but I think she might be a little past the age where an audience can buy her going toe to toe with Batman. The real answer for casting would, I think, be a relative unknown, but if I had to pick someone, I'd go with Charlize Theron.

UPDATE: More on Catwoman casting here.

UPDATE #2: Angelina Jolie is the first big (and unconfirmed) rumor for Catwoman casting, but there are now more (also unconfirmed) rumors that Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes character will somehow become Catwoman in the next movie. I don't buy it, but there are details here

UPDATE #3: Anne Hathaway is playing Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises. See this page for all about Catwoman.

Verdict: Catwoman could fit perfectly with these movies, but it's probably not going to happen.

Would Catwoman work? Can people get over the awful Halle Berry movie? Should the third movie feature the Frank Miller prostitute Catomwan? Is there a perfect casting choice I didn't think of? And who should I look at next? Let me know in the comments.

25 comments:

BobDobbs23 said...

Hey, this is a great blog. Good idea. I will think of some suggestions for you, but you might want to slow it down some if you are planning on blogging until the casting selections come out for the next movie. I would actually like to see a good Catwoman movie on her own, which is to say, a movie unlike any of the previous cinematic representations.

Bill said...

Thanks for the comment. I plan on deviating next week into the considerably more obscure villains, but that will take some research first.

And I'd love a good Catwoman movie. It can't happen for a long time, because it'd require a big budget, and a studio would obviously be nervous about the idea after the Halle Berry debacle. But I'm a huge fan of the Catwoman comics since Brubaker and Cooke (and I'm crushed by the cancellation).

Unknown said...

I would love to see Catwoman in the next Bat flick. though the previous appearance of Catwoman might have been a debacle, I somehow feel that only Nolan can bring the character back to the track like he did with Batman. The only problem I see is that Nolan will have to establish the character which might not be a good idea considering that the movie will the third in the series.

Philip Amler said...

Eva Green fits the bill.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1681693440/nm1200692

Greenlite said...

Good blog^^

When u say Charlize Theron it reminds me of Dakota Fannings, haha, she's very talented and would suit well for batgirl(she's grown up now^^) but I don't think they'll haf sidekicks in Nolanverse.

I think if kitty's ever gonna b in this franchise, she'll only be Selina Kyle without turning into catwoman.

Btw u havn't talked about HUSH!!

Anonymous said...

Nolan mite have planned to have Batman vs Joker part 2 in the third film, while introducing a small part for the Riddler and a major part for Catwoman, who doesn't have rules so just kills the Joker and when he's dead, the batman story ends as well.

Anonymous said...

Keri Russell for Catwoman. She'd own it.

Anonymous said...

Julianne Moore for catwoman!!!

Bill said...

Gosh, that's the 2nd time now I've heard people wanting Julianne Moore. 10 years ago, I'd have said that was a great idea. She's a great actress and a lovely woman. But she's pushing 50 now, and I have a hard time seeing her leaping from balcony to balcony or holding her own in a fight with Batman.

Anonymous said...

Olivia Wilde.

She has the attitude on House and the mesmerizing eyes a catwoman requires.

Bill said...

Olivia Wilde isn't bad, but I almost wonder about her eyes causing the same problem Angelina Jolie has with her lips. They stand out so much that a mask won't disguise her at all.

Anonymous said...

Wait, slow down!
Did you see Julianne Moore is Children of Men? She's beautiful and as tough as nails!

Bill said...

She is beautiful, yeah, and tough as nails, attitude wise, cause she's a good actress. But can you really look at her and think Batman wouldn't beat her senseless with one hand tied behind his back?

Anonymous said...

Catwoman is covered in leather. So they can make her look more muscular cause her skin isn't shown much...



JULIANNE MOORE--CHILDREN OF MEN

The IDEAL CATWOMAN OF MY DREAMS!!!



Or you can take Halle Berry (bleh!)

Bill said...

Hey keep an eye on the Catwoman polls, Julianne Moore will be showing up at some point. Vote often, and your voice will be heard, even though it's wrong :)

Anonymous said...

Is it really necessary to always have a love interest?

Bill said...

I don't think it is, but the guys who write the checks for the budgets do. Almost every movie has a romantic subplot, and the ones that don't tend to be either family movies or low budget ones targeted at small audiences.

Anonymous said...

JULIANNE MOORE JULIANNE MOORE JULIANNE MOORE JULIANNE MOORE JULIANNE MOORE JULIANNE MOORE

Tough, sexy...she doesn't look thirty--besides, they have stuntwomen.

Unknown said...

Julianne Moore is a ginger. Go Eva Green!

Anonymous said...

Eva Green is weak as hell!
JUlIANNE MOORE! My fan plot, involving Harvey Bullock, the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, Catwoman, Rupert Thorne, Deadshot, and Gordon as the villains, coming soon!

Anonymous said...

keri russell is a good choice. she has the damsel in distress look when she is selina and the classic/sexy voice and naughty attitude when she is catwoman. when i say naughty, I base it on her previous films like the babysitter's seduction.

Anonymous said...

Just keep Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie completley away from Catwoman!!!! Then i'll be happy:)
Maybe Eva Green, i think she could do both sexy and crazy. Or Marion Cottoliard. I adore Mila Kunis, but i'm afraid she's too young.
I don't like the idea of Charlize Theron.. She would make Catwoman a huge crybaby... I'd say Eva or Mila.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Im voting for Zoe Saldana for Cat Woman. She did some great growling/hissing in avatar, and wasnt so bad in Star Trek. If they cast Megan fox, I will throw myself in front of a train. Angelina Jolie is so old news, in that genre.

Anonymous said...

While I would love to see Julianne Moore as Catwoman (so many of her characters posses the sexuality and vulnerability of the villain), I agree that she might be too old. Catwoman is a powerfully agile and kick butt villain.

Zoe Saldana is an excellent choice if they skew younger for the villain. And I still long for the days of fierce Eartha Kitt while desperately ignoring Storm, err i mean, Haley Berry.

That said - I hope they cast weird actress Tilda Swinton. She's 40, so pushing it age wise, but the director has mentioned he wanted a more seasoned actress for the role.

Tilda Swinton for Catwoman!