Should we worry about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman??...I say NO!

Should we worry about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman??...I say NO!

My thoughts on why we should trust in Nolan and not worry about the casting announcement of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.

Editorial Opinion
By CapeofTruth - Jan 19, 2011 01:01 PM EST
Filed Under: The Dark Knight Rises

As I'm sure everyone and their grandmother is now aware Anne Hathaway has been cast in the iconic role of Catwoman. This came as a bit of a surprise to the fan community in many ways. Recent rumors had indicated that the main female character in The Dark Knight Rises would be Talia Al Ghul, or Vicki Vale. While Catwoman was not completely off the radar of fan boys (or fan girls) she certainly was not the most expected femme fatale to join the Dark Knight in Christopher Nolan’s final installment of the Batman franchise. With the announcement that Anne Hathaway would play Selina Kyle Twitter exploded, with many of the comments being less than positive.

Many comments were made for why people did not support the casting choice. Some said that Miss Hathaway was too girl next door and did not share the same qualities as Selina Kyle, others simply stated that they did not think that Anne Hathaway was 'sexy' enough to play the role.

As soon as I heard the announcement I knew that the fan community was going to go into a rampage. We have seen this many times before and we will see it again. Recent fan complaints of actors being chosen for a comic book role include Chris Evans being chosen as Captain America, Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern, and Seth Rogen as Green Hornet.

While at least one of the actors deserved the criticism that he received (Here's looking at you Mr. Rogen) in my opinion others have not. While we have not gotten the chance to see Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds in full action in their upcoming films, certain fans have began to warm up to the idea of the actors taking on the iconic roles (This does not apply to every fan and refers more to the shifting of opinion about Chris Evans).

Now, onto the topic at hand. Should we worry about Anne Hathaway being cast as the Princess of Plunder? I say no. The last time the majority of the fan community complained about a certain actor being hired to play a villain in a Batman movie they were left stunned with Heath Ledger's oscar winning performance. While it is not known whether Catwoman will have more of a villainess role in The Dark Knight Rises, or if she will be an ally to Batman, it is a good guess in my mind that she will represent the grey area to the Caped Crusaders life that Batman is not comfortable with.

If we are going to talk about the positive casting choices that Christopher Nolan has given us then we must also talk about the negatives. In Batman Begins many were disappointed with Katie Holmes portrayal of Rachel Dawes. In The Dark Knight she was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was seen by many to be a vast improvement over Holmes. The fact does remain though that many were still disappointed by Gyllenhaal's portrayal as well. So if we begin to think about it the true complaint that many fans have had over the rebooted Batman series has been the main female character of the series. One has to wonder will this weakness carry into the third Batman film of this trilogy?

I truly believe that Christopher Nolan knows how dangerous it was for him to take on a third Batman film. The main reason for it being, as stated by many of the cast and crew, is that there are not many (if any) films in a trilogy where the third film was better than the second. Nolan is a film maker though, and a damn good one I might add. He wants a great film, he wants a great trilogy, he wants to do better than The Dark Knight. If he did not believe he could do this then I do not believe he would have taken on the project. Keeping this in mind and with Nolan knowing how iconic the character of Catwoman is, it is a smart bet that he was incredibly careful in this casting choice. He wanted to make sure that he chose the very best person possible to portray Batman's most popular love interest.

Now, regarding Anne Hathaway being 'sexy' enough for the role and portraying a seductive character, there are a few important things to remember. The first thing that I think many people do not understand is that just because someone has not portrayed certain characteristics does not mean that they are not capable of doing so. In fact I say it is foolish to think that way. An example I will give is that when a new character is needed for a film from the comics fans will automatically pick actors who have played someone similar to the comic book character that is being searched for. For instance if a character is needed that is a soldier in the comics fans will automatically start to name actors that have portrayed soldiers. Or if an actor usually plays a heroic character but has never played a villain then fans think it is impossible for that actor to portray a villain and go into a frenzy if they are chosen for the part. The truth is that many people end up looking just plain silly (That's actually me putting it nicely) in their comments and very ignorant. I say that just because Anne hasn't played a seductress doesn't mean that she will not have nerds everywhere fantasizing about her after they see her portrayal on the big screen.

The question in my mind simply comes down to has Christopher Nolan disappointed you in his last two films? If you say yes then the Nolan films probably do not represent your idea of who Batman and his villains are in your mind. While I respect that I disagree and have to say that Christopher Nolan has spearheaded my favorite comic book franchise. If you did not like the last two Batman films then there is a good chance that you were not going to like The Dark Knight Rises, no matter who was cast in the role.

So I say that we should all try and keep an open mind like I am. If you can do this then when the film does come out, and if you are surprised by the portrayal of Catwoman, then you can say you were one of the ones who did not get on the message boards and criticize Anne Hathaway before you even saw her in a trailer. Honestly though, this is the internet, and people are going to complain, either because they are too stupid to have an open mind, or because they simply have nothing better to do than complain.

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PaulRom
PaulRom - 1/19/2011, 1:54 PM
I have to agree with you there. I say that no one should have a real opinion about someone being cast into a certain role unless they've seen them in the role.
PaulRom
PaulRom - 1/19/2011, 1:56 PM
and good point about Heath Ledger. First glance, it would be hard to picture him as The Joker, but he ended his acting career (sadly) with a nuke-sized bang.
AlexdoxA
AlexdoxA - 1/19/2011, 2:01 PM
Well said...
golden123
golden123 - 1/19/2011, 2:07 PM
Excellent! Yeah I completley agree with you on the fact that people need to stop whining when it comes to actors who haven't quite protrayed characters that are like their newly cast role. I mean there is a first for everything. What if an actor played, basically, the same character in every role?
WingDingaLing
WingDingaLing - 1/19/2011, 4:41 PM
everyone that heath ledger would do terrible as the joker. But he proved everyone wrong and played the role extremely well!
maybe anne hathway might smack us all in the face!
also chris nolan is an amazing director and has great actors in his movies.
so if he thinks she can play the role well then maybe she can!
WingDingaLing
WingDingaLing - 1/19/2011, 4:41 PM
everyone that heath ledger would do terrible as the joker. But he proved everyone wrong and played the role extremely well!
maybe anne hathway might smack us all in the face!
also chris nolan is an amazing director and has great actors in his movies.
so if he thinks she can play the role well then maybe she can!
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 1/19/2011, 5:00 PM
Uhhh yeah we should worry about this because Catwoman is the worst Batman villain ever. This movie will never be as good as the last two movies.
IamthenightIamfear
IamthenightIamfear - 1/19/2011, 5:22 PM
No I trust Nolan
ThomasRochester
ThomasRochester - 1/19/2011, 6:05 PM
yeah....i think Anne Hathaway is smoking hot no matter what character she plays......seriously she made GEt Smart for me
Checkmate
Checkmate - 1/19/2011, 6:24 PM
I'm with SUPERBATSPIDERMAN.
And how dare you criticize Seth Rogen! :P
TheShadow
TheShadow - 1/19/2011, 6:56 PM
@CBM
I wrote an article called Editorial: Batman Press Realese...why was it deleted???
ace995
ace995 - 1/19/2011, 7:11 PM
She must have been really impressive in the auditions to win this role and to beat all those other actresses so im not worried at all, plus Tom Hardy is an amazing actor. It would not surprise me if Bane and Catwoman absolutely BLOW this next film apart and turn out to be better villians than the Joker!!!
Organa1978
Organa1978 - 1/19/2011, 7:28 PM
She should play the Horsewoman(with that horse smile)and not Catwoman.
Terrible choice.
ohsoserious
ohsoserious - 1/19/2011, 7:41 PM
Very well put she is hot I don't care what anyone says plus I trust Nolan he will not let us down!
@superbatspiderman its not the worst villain they could have picked they could have had Mr.Freeze so just relax till you see the movie and stop being so negative
theradioactivecore
theradioactivecore - 1/19/2011, 8:44 PM
I don't know... in regards to acting I'm sure she is going to be great but I'm not so positive about her look... she's not that hot...
nightmarket
nightmarket - 1/19/2011, 9:18 PM
I would point out that Anne Hathaway was announced to play Selena Kyle, but they didn't say anything about Catwoman. Honestly, I don't find her all that attractive, but there are many ways to make a woman beautiful other than the ways spoon fed to us by Hollywood on a routine basis. And it will be interesting to see how they pull off Bane. I was hoping they would do him because he has a hell of a storyline, although if they do take that route, would he be strong enough to carry the film? Especially if Batman spends much of the movie lying in bed with a broken back and Catwoman doesn't become Catwoman until later?
CapeofTruth
CapeofTruth - 1/20/2011, 1:07 AM
Thanks for the positive feed back. I honestly do not see how people do not find Anne Hathaway attractive. Maybe not what I pictured as Catwoman but she is definatly hot! Also I have to say that I love the character of Catwoman. She's not a villain, but she's not a hero. She's a very complex character and brings a different dynamic to Batman's life.

Think about where TDK ended. Batman is seen on the wrong side of the law. Who else in the comics as seen on the wrong side of the law??? Ten points if you guessed Catwoman. Bringing Catwoman into the storyline actually makes alot of sense.

I also would like to say that I don't think they'll have Batman laying around in a bed most of the movie. I think it will be more like what they did on the animated show 'The Batman' when Bruce first faced Bane. He got banged up, his spirit went down, and then he emerged and battled Bane once again, this time coming out as the victor. At least that is how I see it happening.

MatchesMalone1
MatchesMalone1 - 1/20/2011, 1:04 PM
Now I'm a fan of Nolan's just as much as the next guy, but do you all really have faith in Anne Hathaway? Please.

Yes Nolan has set up his movies with AWESOME male leads, but as has been noted in this article, he has a history of picking shitty lead actresses. That might be putting it a little harsh, but he certainly picks a female actress who is the "hot" thing at the time, i.e. Katie Holmes, Gyllenhall, Ellen Page, and Hillary Swank. 3 of them are really good, and Swank is amazing, but in his movies they're "meh" at best.

The female characters are well written though, I believe. And I do NOT approve of him adding too many characters in one movie... such a bad idea.
MatchesMalone1
MatchesMalone1 - 1/20/2011, 1:06 PM
Especially for a 3rd movie, he's supposed to be wrapping up the story of batman (not some villain of the week)and certainly not adding in 2 or 3 prime characters in the last 2 hours of it.
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 1/20/2011, 2:12 PM
YsoSerious- I would rather have them do Mr. Freeze than Catwoman. Actually Mr. Freeze would actually be pretty sweet. I am negative because how is Bane and Catwoman ever going to top Ras Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Joker, or Two face. Bane and Catwoman aren't nearly as exciting as any of those character. I wnat the Riddler, Scarface, or Black Mask.
phoe1
phoe1 - 1/20/2011, 2:16 PM


just did this. what ya think? she got the vibes to me alrite.
spmcr01
spmcr01 - 1/20/2011, 6:42 PM
Ehhh... I don't doubt Anne Hathaway sexiness at all. (anyone that's seen Havoc would agree) It's her acting ability I doubt along with choice villians but that's more personal opinion on the villian part. Catwomen has been done and done and done but hopefully Nolan will put a fresh take on it like he did with the Joker. The thing that I just don't like is Bane. Tom Hardy is great but Bane is stil my absolute least liked villian!
Azrael725
Azrael725 - 1/24/2011, 8:07 PM
I don't think she's a bad actress...I just, as many others have put it, don't think she's hot or sexy. I find her facial features oversized and she does doesn't fit my taste. Everyone's different I suppose. I may critisize her looks but let's hope Nolan can update her look (Cut her hair! Don't make her eyes look freaking huge like they usually are!) and make her the Selina Kyle (I don't think Catwoman will apear in this film.)that the film deserves. I'm trying really hard to keep an open mind. Praise to Nolan though for bringing us one of the greatest trilogies (Hopefully the third is great.) of all time.
Sasquatch123
Sasquatch123 - 2/1/2011, 9:09 PM
I think we should all just relax and watch as fans ,some of us take this way to personal Nolan had done a grea job so far no matter what we mere mortals think or say we are going to pay stream or something but we are gonna watch , and Anne is fine so some of you need to curb your inner randy (scream) and just watch .. Make mine Marvel .. Imperius Rex
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