As the DCEU moves forward, there will be continued growth for more characters that exist within the world. One of DC’s characters that has not yet appeared in the young universe is Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman. While she has not appeared in the DCEU, she has appeared many times on screen before. Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry each spent time in the role, but Anne Hathaway has been the most recent actress to take on the role – excluding Camren Bicondova on Gotham. Hathaway got her chance to play the antihero in The Dark Knight Rises, where she returns at the end to help save the day.
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is not included within the DCEU, a fact cemented by Ben Affleck’s casting as Bruce Wayne. This story may be wrapped up, but Hathaway is once again expressing interest in continuing to play the character – though not necessarily in a spinoff.
In a recent interview with Variety to talk about her upcoming film Colossal, she was asked if she would return to the role. It should not come as a surprise that her answer was an easy yes. Not only does she already love playing the character, but Hathaway as it turns out is just a big fan of the DC Universe in general:
“I loved that character and I had such a blast playing her. I’m not sure how it would work because I think the Chris Nolan chapter of the Batman story has been wrapped up and I’m part of that, but I love the DC Universe and it would be fun to take a trip back.”
Given DC’s choice to start with an older, experienced Batman, Hathaway remains the perfect age to play Catwoman again should the opportunity arise. There have not yet been any indications as to whether or not Catwoman is in DC’s plans, but she has continued to be put on screen no matter the quality, so Affleck could very well be planning to bring her into his solo film. If they bring her in now or later, it is still unlikely Hathaway could reprise her role in order to not confuse audiences. If someone else plays the character soon, Hathaway will be nothing but supportive:
“It sort of goes with the territory when you accept it and receive it from the last Catwoman. I was shown such generosity from Halle [Berry] and from Michelle [Pfeiffer], and so I would do that the next time as well.”
It is hard to say at this point in time if Catwoman will be making another trip to the big screen, but if that is the case, Warner Bros and DC Films could do much worse than getting Hathaway back in the role. Hathaway has proven time and again that she is one of the better actresses in Hollywood and is not afraid of getting involved with big projects. While only making one appearance as Catwoman, she is also lined up for Ocean’s Eight, which could make her an even bigger name to have under the DC umbrella.
Catwoman’s appearance would most likely first take place in a Batman movie, so if she is a character that is going to appear in Affleck’s solo movie, casting could not be too far off. It is great that Hathaway remains interested, but without any indications from the studio as to whether or not this could happen, it is best to keep expectations for this to happen low. Then again, it is possible Hathaway could star in a solo film of her own outside of the DCEU, similarly to what the plan currently is for Booster Gold.
Suicide Squad is in theaters now. Wonder Woman opens on June 2, 2017; Justice League on November 17, 2017; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020. The Flash, the Batman solo movie, Man of Steel 2, and Justice League Dark are currently without release dates.
