Source: SuperHeroHype | Collider | Posted By: Dan Geer
Well, it is now official. Thanks to a press release from Warner Brothers that has hit the web today, Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart) has been cast to play Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. We also now know which character Tom Hardy (Inception) will play in the film. Hit the jump for my thoughts on Selina Kyle (who becomes “Catwoman” in the comics), as well as who Hardy‘s character is!
Tom Hardy, who we’ve already known will be in the film for a while now, is playing Bane, whom Nolan refers to as “one of Batman’s most formidable enemies” (I dare you to find a Batman fan who would disagree). The press release reveals that this will be a “new interpretation” of the character, which will be necessary for the gritty, realistic universe that Nolan and company have created for Batman.
Now, while I’m excited about Hardy playing Bane, I am not so thrilled about Selina Kyle and the possibility of Catwoman in the Nolan Batman universe. Now this isn’t because Hathaway has been cast as Kyle (she’s a great actress), but rather because I just simply cannot get previous incarnations of Catwoman out of my mind, and they mention nothing about a “new interpretation” of the character in the press release. The character has never been portrayed as anything else on screen but a sexy temptress who purrs at Batman, which just doesn’t fit the world that Nolan has created for the franchise thus far. To put it bluntly, it’s just cheesy, and has always turned out like crap on screen.
In my opinion, there are only two ways this could work: Either they have her remain as Bruce Wayne’s love interest, never becoming Catwoman – or, they somehow drastically change the way Catwoman has been portrayed in the past. I have faith that Nolan and Hathaway can pull this off, since they’ve both proven themselves quite competent in what they do, but they are really going to have to work hard at changing the common public perception of the character if they go this route.
This is meant to be Nolan‘s final opus in the world of Batman, and putting Catwoman in the film really seems like an even bolder move than casting Heath Ledger as the Joker. I sincerely hope that, if it does happen, that it works.
Head on over to Collider for the press release. The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters nationwide July 20, 2012. (Thanks Tim Linsley for the head’s up!)
