Conflicting reports now online.
July 17, 2003 - According to "an unconfirmed rumor" reported by Coming Attractions at Cinescape, Catwoman may have just used up her ninth and final life. CA's reliable anonymous source claims that Warner Brothers is thisclose to putting the kabosh on their long-in-development comic book movie, which had Oscar-winner Halle Berry set to star as the feline femme fatale.
While CA's source didn't know exactly why Catwoman was imperiled, they did describe the production as "stillborn." So what might have caused this turn of events? Script problems? Halle Berry's schedule? Budget woes? Concerns about this being director Pitof's first major American film?
CA says that, right now, Catwoman "still appears as business as usual. The Catwoman production still has an active production office phone number and remains pencilled in for a September start of filming in Vancouver. Whether that information will change in the weeks to come remains to be seen, but as we mentioned, our source has been privy to these kinds of decisions before they are publically announced."
If Catwoman has indeed been shelved then someone needs to tell the production team to stop hiring people. Variety reported today that ESC Entertainment has been contracted to handle the film's special effects. And according to Superhero Hype, choreographer Anne Fletcher (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) "has now joined the production. Does this mean Catwoman will dance or is this just for the sexy moves in the suit?!"
Hype also points out a Teamsters site that has additional information on filming dates. And they report, via the British Columbia Film Commission, that Thierry Argobast (The Fifth Element) will serve as Catwoman's director of photography while Jean Rabasse (Asterix & Obelix) is the film's production designer.