The last time we saw Catwoman on the big screen, Anne Hathaway was playing a grounded version of the burglar in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Michelle Pfeiffer's iconic take in Batman Returns was a complete polar opposite, while Halle Berry's Catwoman...well, we don't talk about that.
Now, it's Zöe Kravitz's chance to bring Selina Kyle to life in Matt Reeves' The Batman, and it sounds like the Big Little Lies star's prep involved some unique research. "We watched cats and lions and how they fight, and talked about what is actually possible when you’re my size, and Batman’s so much stronger than me," the actress tells Empire Online. "What is my skill? It’s being fast and tricky."
"So we did some really interesting floor work that incorporated different kinds of martial arts and capoeira and a kind of feline, dance-like movement."
While The Batman will find Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight in his second year as Gotham City's vigilante, Kravitz confirms that the movie will serve as "an origin story for Selina." She adds: "It’s the beginning of her figuring out who she is, beyond just someone trying to survive. I think there’s a lot of space to grow and I think we are watching her become what I’m sure will be the femme fatale."
At this point, it doesn't sound like we're getting "classic" comic book Catwoman. However, as Reeves reportedly has plans for a trilogy, there's plenty of time to expand on her story arc. Throw in the fact that Warner Bros. is greenlighting those HBO Max TV shows (both Gotham City P.D. and The Penguin are getting small screen spinoffs), and we could even see Selina make the leap to the small screen.
The Batman is set to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022.