Who should play Catwoman?

[hunterbat]

I would say that if the role is to be reprised, it should be someone fresh and new. I think the only way we'll be able to swallow a new Catwoman (Halle Ber... bleCH BLARGH BLAAAARGLGGHH) it needs to be someone whom we won't relate to one role or another from her earlier repetiore. I still don't think the role should be touched, as Nolan's "realistic" ideas will likely dull or water-down the acrobatic, devious seductress the comics so faithfully and lovingly portray as our (well, my) favorite femme fatale.

Good luck with Angelina Jolie as Catwoman.... I'd expect her to wear khaki shorts and waaaaay too much lipstick. Her schtick got old a few years back- the stress of her seventywhatever adopted babies is putting bags under her eyes

[The Dark Knight]

Good points well made. I may have my protege.

Welcome to the site, hunterbat.

[johnnygobbs]

I've heard rumurs that appear to have emenated from Nolan's camp that he and his collaborators aren't interested in doing Catwoman because she's 'not realistic' enough.  Which does beggar the question, if Catwoman is too unrealistic for Nolan's Batman universe, what characters can he use?  Certainly not Mr Freeze, Poison Ivy, Clayface, The Mad Hatter, Bane, or even The Penguin, etc etc.

Don't get me wrong, I like Nolan's films, but there is much more mileage to be gained from a Batman film series that embraces some of the more outlandish aspects of the characters' world ala the Burton movies, or the animated tv series (as long as it doesn't go too far in the Schumacher direction  ).

[The Dark Knight]

I've heard rumurs that appear to have emenated from Nolan's camp that he and his collaborators aren't interested in doing Catwoman because she's 'not realistic' enough.  Which does beggar the question, if Catwoman is too unrealistic for Nolan's Batman universe, what characters can he use?  Certainly not Mr Freeze, Poison Ivy, Clayface, The Mad Hatter, Bane, or even The Penguin, etc etc.

Indeed. What a joke. Talia is certainly more realistic, a regular female dressing in regular clothes. But she's a lot more bland in comparison, and definitely not as top tier. The public won't know who she is, nor will they likely care. I think we've all moved beyond Batman Begins now, and this feels like backpedaling.

These films are meant to be exciting for crying out loud. Sure, do your version, but people want iconic comic book characters, because it's a comic book you are adapting.

As I said before, Talia makes sense for HAR because the other two films are pretentious chores as well. Nolan doesn't have a passion for these types of characters. He'll massage the fun out of them. He won't have to do that with Talia, so you can see why she's going to be in it.

Nolan has the chance to do the big three, Joker, Two Face and Catwoman. And he will probably choose not to.  I think most people will view this as a missed chance, and a gap in his trilogy. Burton would've probably done Two Face for his third, and he would've accomplished that goal.

[The Joker]

I've heard rumurs that appear to have emenated from Nolan's camp that he and his collaborators aren't interested in doing Catwoman because she's 'not realistic' enough.  

If true, it's stuff like this that drives me up the wall.

Ok. A man dressing up in a bat-like costume to take on crime is acceptable, but a woman dressing up in a cat-like costume to steal isn't???

[Matuatay]

Yep, just like a short, fat guy who wears a tux and carries an umbrella who happens to have an oversized nose is too far of a stretch to use in this "realistic" universe.

But we can have a guy who runs around with a burlap bag on his head spraying drugs in peoples faces and another guy with half his face burned completely off (who isn't dying from infection or in cardiac arrest) is perfectly acceptable. 

Oh, and we can't forget how real it is for a dude to run around seemingly unnoticed with this big microwave emitter turning Gotham's water supply into vapor whilst not effecting a single human being who is 90% water other than sending them on a very bad acid trip. 

Who's have thought??

Seriously though, I love the Nolan films.  Especially since he added my favorite villain into the 2nd installment, but enough with the reality crap.  If I want reality for entertainment, I'll watch American Idol (gag) or the News.   

[The Dark Knight]

Ok. A man dressing up in a bat-like costume to take on crime is acceptable, but a woman dressing up in a cat-like costume to steal isn't???

Exactly.

Sure, Nolan can make a decent film with Talia. But a theatrical villain would've still been better. And it's what the audience wants. It was always going to be a tough ask following up The Joker. But this doesn't even try. Perhaps that's the point, but it's still underwhelming.

As an onlooker, it feels like Nolan's trying to be clever. "Oh, you thought it'd be The Riddler, but you were wrong!" And so on for other characters such as Catwoman. Changing it up to surprise and be different for the sake of it. Sometimes the obvious is the way to go. Like the casting of Nicholson as the Joker.

I hope this film is the last we see of "realism".

[The Joker]

Yep, just like a short, fat guy who wears a tux and carries an umbrella who happens to have an oversized nose is too far of a stretch to use in this "realistic" universe.

But we can have a guy who runs around with a burlap bag on his head spraying drugs in peoples faces and another guy with half his face burned completely off (who isn't dying from infection or in cardiac arrest) is perfectly acceptable. 

Oh, and we can't forget how real it is for a dude to run around seemingly unnoticed with this big microwave emitter turning Gotham's water supply into vapor whilst not effecting a single human being who is 90% water other than sending them on a very bad acid trip. 

Who's have thought??

Spot on.

Realism, especially in that respect, clearly isn't even an issue.

It's how the fantastical elements is approached and taken seriously that gives off the illusion of realism.

But yeah, the fact that a 'fear gas' is perfectly fine, where the Penguin is considered too 'tricky' is simply maddening.

Exactly.

Sure, Nolan can make a decent film with Talia. But a theatrical villain would've still been better. And it's what the audience wants. It was always going to be a tough ask following up The Joker. But this doesn't even try. Perhaps that's the point, but it's still underwhelming.

As an onlooker, it feels like Nolan's trying to be clever. "Oh, you thought it'd be The Riddler, but you were wrong!" And so on for other characters such as Catwoman. Changing it up to surprise and be different for the sake of it. Sometimes the obvious is the way to go. Like the casting of Nicholson as the Joker.

I hope this film is the last we see of "realism".

Exactly right.

There's a reason why the Riddler was the foregone conclusion for the villain in the 3rd Nolan Batman movie. There's a reason why Catwoman's name continues to be brought up. Or to a lesser extent, the Penguin. These are the villains fans, and casual fans, are familiar with, and of course would like to see translated into Nolan's Batman films. It's a no brainer really. But if Nolan prefers to make use of lesser known villains for the sake of diverting from the obvious ... fine. But I think that sort of approach is sincerely going to leave audiences disappointed with the final product.

Seriously, this would be like Raimi following up Green Goblin not with Doc Ock, but rather Spencer Smythe, or Hammerhead. Sure, you can do that, but it is a underwhelming to say the very least. As TDK suggested, sometimes going with the logical choice is best. Certainly worked for Burton with Joker and Penguin back in '89 and '92. That's for sure.

[The Dark Knight]

It's how the fantastical elements is approached and taken seriously that gives off the illusion of realism.

Correct. Batman is not realistic. He?s relatable. Reality is hinted at, but it isn't fully embraced. If Batman's world is so realistic, how can it be that Mr. Freeze exists in the comics? And he does exist. You can pick and choose who you want to show, but you can't delete their existence altogether. The altered reality of Nolan is not what the comics are. The fact Nolan alters the characters proves my point. They were not realistic to start with, but he wants them to be. The comic reality is not to that extent.

The title is unimaginative. The characters seem to be underwhelmingly safe. We haven't seen anything at all yet, but it's not a good start. Seems bland. Bring on Arkham City.

[johnnygobbs]

I hope this film is the last we see of "realism".

What bothers me is that Nolan's films are very highly regarded within the industry so if Warner Bros even considers rebooting the series once Nolan has completed his trilogy they will need to find an extremely top-class director in order to attract the type of talent who worship at the alter of Nolan.  Very few actors will want to be part of a reboot which follows such a highly regarded series (even discounting memories of Schumacher's follow-up to the Burton films).

Even fewer actors will would dare to take on the role of The Joker following the near-universal acclaim that greeted Ledger's performance since you can pretty much guarantee the press' response to a new Joker (i.e. 'who does this guy think he is daring to follow-up the late sainted Heath Ledger in the role?').  That would be doubly unfortunate since not only would we not get to see Batman's primary antagonist again but it would inevitably rule out a live-action portrayal of Harley Quinn, a character who is surely begging to be put on the big screen.