The Batman put a fresh spin on Gotham City and its Dark Knight, and Matt Reeves' vision for a grounded take on this corner of the DC Universe has proven to be a hit with fans. There's still no word on a sequel (despite this first instalment being the highest-grossing movie of 2022), but an official announcement can't be too far off, especially as The Penguin is getting his own HBO Max series.
ComicBook.com has shared some excerpts from The Art of The Batman book, and in that, Reeves shares some unexpected new details about Selina Kyle's backstory.
"Selina's a survivor. She had to survive on the streets, and she actually lived for part of her childhood in the Gotham Orphanage, just like The Riddler," the filmmaker confirms. "And so the story's very much about class as well, and about the luxury of being able to choose to become a vigilante, versus somebody who simply has to find a way to survive in the way that Selina does."
It would have been interesting to see The Batman address this in some way, especially if it meant Catwoman's story struck a slightly more personal chord with Bruce Wayne. She never crossed paths with The Riddler, though, so it's possible Reeves decided that making their backstories so similar was a little superfluous to what else was happening in a movie already just shy of 3 hours.
It sounds like Reeves considers Selina's history canon, though, so this could be a plot point the director decides to touch on in the not too distant future. There have been rumblings about a Catwoman TV series coming to HBO Max, though seeing her take on a lead role in The Batman 2 would be preferred.
The Batman is now streaming on HBO Max.