Catwoman is one of the more famous villains from the Batman universe, ever since Julie Newmar donned the leather catsuit back in the 60s. With the Dark Knight already released on DVD, many are wondering who will don the catsuit in the next installment? That is a tough choice. The catwoman name was tarnished when Halle Berry did her own portrayal and won the Razzie Award for worst actress.
Even so, it is one of the intriguing roles in Hollywood today. Seeing Julie Newmar in the Batman TV series, you wouldn't think there would be much acting involved in playing Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. However, that changed when Michelle Pfeiffer was given the role after the original choice, Annette Benning, dropped out due to pregnancy. Critics praised Pfeiffer's portrayal, actually she was the only thing most critics liked about the movie.
Batman Returns showed that Selina Kyle was exactly like Bruce Wayne, only darker. Pfeiffer even admitted it was one of the most challenging characters she ever had to play, and also broke the stereotype of her only playing period piece heroines. This finally showed Selina Kyle as confused and deranged, an anti-heroine. Although many parents were not very happy. They complained when Pfeiffer appeared on screen looking ever bit the dominatrix, complete with a whip. They thought Tim Burton's vision of Batman was too mature for children, which does not make sense if you see the new Batman movies. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are far more violent than Burton's movies.
So with the renewed success and enthusiasm of the Batman franchise, planning another sequel has been in the works since The Dark Knight opened in theaters. For a while, it was thought that just the Riddler and the Penguin would be the main villains. Christopher Nolan, the director has given a definite answer on anything, he doesn't even know if he will return to direct.
But the buzz is that Catwoman is the ultimate favorite for an appearance in the next film. Kate Beckinsale has expressed interest in playing her. We already know how she would look in a catsuit, remember Underworld? Also many speculate Angelina Jolie will don some cat ears, she has support from the first catwoman herself, Julie Newmar. Both of those are more obvious choices since both women are known for their action roles. Beckinsale for the vampire Selene (similar to Selina Kyle) and Jolie for Lara Croft and Fox from Wanted.
But word through the internet waves has been rumoring that Oscar winner Rachel Weisz is the new favorite to portray the "feline fatale." If she does accept the role, that means that the Brits have taken over the Batman hype. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and with Weisz, would make the general cast of the new movie overly British. Not that this is a bad thing, of course, but a little surprising.
There has been a British surge within the last few years. Keira Knightley (the biggest and most famous right now), Orlando Bloom, Sienna Miller, Emily Blunt, Daniel Craig, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (okay, he's Irish), Kate Beckinsale, and last but not least, Kate Winslet. They're starting to play Americans better than Americans themselves. Scary thought... But they are beginning to lay a claim on Hollywood, whether we're ready or not.
Anyway, I'm glad that Weisz may be targeted to play Catwoman/Selina Kyle. She can handle a character like this and it will be in a role we've never seen her in before. So, maybe it do what it did for Michelle Pfeiffer. We can only hope, and we can hope that it will be a good script and film to make up for 2004's Catwoman.
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