A few weeks back, The Beat’s crack entertainment staff picked five actors who might be good to play Batman villain The Penguin opposite Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Since then, there have been more rumors about which villains that might appear in the movie, but one of the most anticipated has to be the possible return of Catwoman.
So far, three actors have played Catwoman in the ‘60s series, three actors have played her in the movies, and then there’s Camren Bicondova’s Selina Kyle on the Fox show Gotham. In the case of Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather and Eartha Kitt, playing Catwoman became iconic roles for them as they helped define the character for all future iterations.
That brings us to 2019, almost 80 years since the character was introduced as “The Cat” in Batman #1, and we’re looking at an eighth actor to make Catwoman her own. With Reeves going into pre-production, the Beat’s staff came up with a few ideas as to who we think should take on the role next.
(NOTE: there have been recent rumors of Vanessa Kirby of The Crown, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and the upcoming Hobbs and Shaw movie being in the running, but none of us picked her.)
Aubrey Plaza
(Chosen by Hannah Lodge)
When I’m thinking of who I’d cast as Catwoman, I keep coming back to one choice: Aubrey Plaza. Mostly I’m sold because of Plaza’s other-worldly work on Legion. Plaza seems like she could bring the perfect dose of humor and menace to the role in a way that we’ve never quite seen before on screen. She’s also publicly campaigned for the role — see her “audition” on Colbert here — so it seems pretty clear that she’d be interested!
(Note: Also of interest is that O’Shea Jackson, Jr, got his role in Plaza’s film Ingrid Goes West due to a Batman reference he made via text. You can read that story here.)
Anya Taylor Joy
(Chosen by Edward Douglas)
Maybe more than any other Batman “villain,” Catwoman is a tough one to cast, not only because there have been a number of amazing actors playing her both on television and film, but also, it’s important to make her smart as well as sexy. Like the old saying goes – women want to be her and men want to be with her. Best known for her appearances in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Glass, Anya Taylor-Joy offers the total package, having proven her versatility in films like The Witch and 2018’s Thoroughbreds, where she was able to show off her cunning as a worthy foil for Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
Lupita Nyong’o
(Chosen by Samantha Puc)
It’s my humble opinion that Catwoman needs to be sleek, powerful, and able to steal any and all scenes from Batman — and whoever else happens to be present. There’s literally no one better to play this iconic part than Lupita Nyong’o, whose range is incredible. Catwoman walks a fine line as a powerful but still fun villain, and Nyong’o would knock it out of the park.
Jodie Comer
(Chosen by Aaron Halls)
As the assassin Villanelle in Killing Eve, actress Jodie Comer is a vortex of performance charisma. Even after brutally stabbing her target in the eye during one episode, Villanelle draws you in due to Comer’s talent; a part of you can’t help but root for her character no matter the atrocities she commits. In the hands of Comer, Villanelle is all at once stylish, sexy, terrifying, and intriguing, qualities which I feel make her a perfect fit to take on Robert Pattinson’s Batman as Catwoman. Villanelle has such a magnetic presence, it’s enough to begin an international cat and mouse game between her and a spy. I’m quite positive Comer could bring this same magnetism to Selina Kyle, creating a cat and bat dynamic fans wouldn’t be able to take their eyes off of.
Kristen Stewart
(Chosen by Kyle Pinion)
It’s going to sound gimmicky, and I fully accept that, but the truth of the matter is much like Robert Pattinson is one of our most exciting young actors, Kristen Stewart has been every bit his opposite number. Look at the track record lately: Clouds of Sils Maria, Still Alice, Certain Women, Personal Shopper…post-Twilight, she’s been taking on incredibly challenging projects that defy a lot of the unfair criticism she received during her vampire romance days. She’s quite the chameleon and is about to finally step back into the blockbuster realm this year with Charlie’s Angels. Post-Personal Shopper especially, the idea of her stepping into the shoes of Selina Kyle seems a no-brainer, were WB to think like I do. They won’t, of course, because they’re cowards!
Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments below.
This seems a lot more like a bleeding cool plea for clicks then what I normally see on the Beat. I hope the good comics coverage doesn’t get hard to find in a sea of clickbait.
What about Ana de Armas, gorgeous abd talented woman, the next Bond girl.
Lili Simmons also played Catwoman in GOTHAM, and she did a very good job. The search now is for the 9th, not the 8th.
Bring back Eartha Kitt
Kristen Stewart played in 5 movies with Pattinson and they had great chemistry. Seems like a perfect match for them to work together again. After Twilight they both said they’d like to work together again. Perfect timing and perfect project.
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