This article contains spoilers forThe Batman(2022).
Catwoman technically starred in her own movie in 2004. But that was aCatwomanmovie in name only. The title character played by Halle Berry isn’t even called Selina Kyle; her name is Patience Phillips. In this wildly unfaithful version of the Catwoman story, she magically receives cat-like superpowers from an Egyptian Mau cat. The only connection to the iconic source material is the black leather, and even then, the costume looks more like a Britney Spears stage outfit than the familiar suit from the comics. As a universally adored icon and one of the most complex antiheroes in the DC Comics universe, Catwoman deserves a second chance at a solo movie.
Zoë Kravitz’s refreshing take on Selina – recently introduced in Matt Reeves’The Batman– is primed to lead her own story. Catwoman is usually depicted as a straightforward villain, or a femme fatale who can’t be trusted and constantly switches allegiance between the Bat and whichever other villains he’s chasing in a given movie. But Kravitz’s version of the character is different. She gave Selina more depth thanstraightforward villainous portrayals of Catwoman, which is worth exploring in a solo film. This Catwoman isn’t a one-note comic book archetype; she’s nuanced and vulnerable enough to lead her own story. The whole “villain protagonist” thing rarely works out, but this Selina wouldn’t be a villain protagonist. She’s more of an antihero with relatable flaws, sympathetic motivations, and a harrowing backstory.
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The ending ofThe Batmanhas set up a standalone adventure for Selina. With more crime on the streets than ever before and a waist-deep flood necessitating the involvement of the National Guard, Selina has deemed Gotham to be beyond saving. Before she leaves the city, she namedrops Blüdhaven as a possible destination. Blüdhaven is the similarly crime-ridden New Jersey city between Gotham and Atlantic City where Nightwing went to start a solo vigilante career. Selina could do something similar in her own movie. This would be a great opportunity for a filmmaker to envision a whole new gloomy urban environment withinthe neo-noir-tinged Batman universethat Reeves has created.
Who Could Direct A Catwoman Movie?
The success ofThe Batmanis that it’s a singular, razor-focused character study of a distinctive version of Bruce Wayne envisioned by Matt Reeves. There are many great visionary filmmakers out there who could give Reeves’ Selina Kyle the same treatment. Greta Gerwig couldgive audiences another flawed yet lovable antiherolike a leather-clad Lady Bird. Lynne Ramsay could helm a grisly vigilante thriller in the vein ofYou Were Never Really Here. That masterfully crafted Joaquin Phoenix vehicle –framed as a sort of modern-dayTaxi Driver– was praised for Ramsay’s directorial command. It’s a classic hitman actioner, but it’s much more interested in its lead character’s troubled psychology than his righteous bloodshed.
Kravitz has confirmed thatthe Catwoman she plays inThe Batmanis bisexual, but the film itself skirts around the character’s sexual orientation. Selina has an overt romantic arc with Batman in the movie, but her relationship with her roommate Annika is left ambiguous. There are hints of romance between them, but the movie shies away from depicting any real intimacy, possibly to appease the distributors in certain overseas markets. In a Catwoman solo movie, now that Selina has left the Bat behind and gone off on her own, DC could go beyond the standard Disney-style blink-and-you’ll-miss-it LGBTQ representation and definitively confirm Selina’s bisexuality with a same-sex romance subplot.
1970s Influences
To evoke the beautifully grim tone and style ofThe Batman, a potential Catwoman movie should lean into the same New Hollywood influences that formed Reeves’ vision of Gotham City. The influence of ‘70s cinema can be seen all overThe Batman: Batman and Catwoman’s dynamic is an homage toKlute, the paternal plot twist is a nod toChinatown, and Bruce’s disturbing diary entries – presented as voiceover narration – are a reference toTaxi Driver.
A Catwoman movie could emulate the themes and storylines ofa different neo-noir classic from this era. Exploring the surreal, horror-tinged stylings of David Lynch’sBlue Velvetcould help to differentiate a Catwoman solo film from Reeves’ grounded approach toThe Batman. InBlue Velvet, Isabella Rossellini plays a tragic subversion of the femme fatale archetype. Dorothy Vallens is terrorized by a sadistic crime boss in the seedy underbelly of quintessential suburban Americana.
Warner executives allowed Reeves to push the limits of the PG-13 rating inThe Batman, butBlue Velvet-level existential dreadmight be a step too far for one of the studio’s tentpole comic book movies. Instead, a Catwoman solo movie could follow the narrative framework of the Michael Caine-starring 1971 noirGet Carter, in which a murder investigation becomes a blood-soaked trail of vengeance on the mean streets of Newcastle. Alternatively, a potential Catwoman movie could be a straightforward female-driven revenge thriller in the style of Pam Grier’s action-packed blaxploitation gems, with uncompromising violence and a glorious final showdown with a legion of pulpy, tough-as-nails baddies.
The possibilities are endless. Kravitz has yet to headline a blockbuster movie – she’s usually relegated to supporting roles – but she just needs the opportunity to carry a solo project. She gave a scene-stealing turn inThe Batmanthat threatened to overshadow the Bat himself.Catwoman is practically a co-leadin the movie. After the introduction of Kravitz’s fan-favorite take on the role, this antihero Catwoman deserves to take center stage in a film of her own.
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