Convincing myself Anne Hathaway can play Catwoman through pictures.
Big news out of Hollywood today. Anne Hathaway has officially been cast as Selina Kyle in the third Christopher Nolan Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. It was also announced that Tom Hardy, who was already down for a role, will be playing Bane. My initial reaction to Hathaway’s casting? DO NOT WANT. So here is my attempt to convince myself the Princess can play the prostitute.
There’s no doubt in my mind Hathaway is a talented actress, it’s just that in my mind, when I look at her I see sweet and proper. I can’t help it. My first introduction to her was in The Princess Diaries. Then she was in Ella Enchanted. And then another Princess Diaries movie. But at least in this shot she looks like Selina decked out for a Gotham social event ready to do some pick-pocketing.
And before, like everyone else, you point out movies like Havoc or Rachel Getting Married, I haven’t seen those. People have been sending me clips all day and all I can see is her acting like she’s on Saturday Night Live. Though, slinking cat in this pic?
But here’s an interesting tidbit. Sue over at DC Women Kicking Ass picked up on the fact that “Catwoman” is never mentioned in the press release from Warner Bros., only “Selina Kyle.” So could we have another “Two-Face” situation on our hands? Will Hathaway not become Catwoman until the end of the film? This shot makes me think of Batman: Year One with Selina hanging out her apartment window.
Apparently she beat out Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley for the role, neither of which I would have been particularly pleased about either. A lot of people have asked me who I’d rather have play Catwoman, and while I never really decided on someone, Rachel Weisz was brought up and I certainly would have been content with her. I picked this shot because, well, vinyl and I can see her crouching on a rooftop like that.
In the official press release Nolan said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.” And that’s really what all the skeptics, including myself, have to remember. In my mind, Nolan has not steered the Batman ship wrong yet. A lot of people didn’t think Heath Ledger would make a good Joker and look how that turned out. So although I don’t care for the choice, I’ll trust that Nolan made the right decision for the film. 
I’m still holding true to the fact that I would have preferred Talia Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises. It would have made great symmetry with Batman Begins and helped bring everything full circle. But you know, Catwoman is Catwoman and I love her. And nothing could be as bad as Halle Berry. Right?
At least she’s got boots on in this one. So what do you think of the casting choice? Will Hathaway make a convincing Selina Kyle? And although this was mostly about her, what about Hardy as Bane? Not sure which direction Nolan will take with him but Hardy is a fantastic actor.The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.
i really would have loved to see Rosario Dawson play catwoman. i think she would have been pretty badass.
Based on the trailer for Bronson i think Bane will make a great villain for the final nolan batman film…
As for Anne Hathaway as Catwoman… I wish someone else was cast… but I am willing to wait and see what Christopher Nolan does with her character…
Anne Hathaway is a good actress and will do a fine job as Catwoman. At least that is the best answer I can give right now until we actually see some stills from the picture after it has started filming.
I've long since learned since the 'Mr. Bat-Mom' casting in 1989 to try to withhold judgment on these matters until presented with more evidence.
i just can't believe her as catwoman. michelle pfeiffer will always be the best for me, but i will try to give hathaway a shot, while wishing that someone like eliza dushku had been considered
I think Anne Hathaway is a very good choice – I've always found her very sexy (well, post Princess Diaries anyway) and have no problems with her inhabiting this role. Nice pics, by the way…
catwoman should have been: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1200692/
great actress, has the look but also the edge. she just has that kinky look.
Katherine Moennig from the L World could be a great Catwoman (Brubaker / Cooke version)…Hathaway is too porcelain, we need someone able to bleed hard and still fight back (all the movies she does, she is always the cry baby)..sigh..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahEgOSQtIaI&feature=related
I'm taking a wait and see approach with Hathaway but once I heard about Bane, it really made sense to me. Nolan has been sticking with more of a realistic fight against organized crime approach instead of the super villain fight fest that was part of the campy Batman TV series. You look at Bane through the same type of realistic interpretation like with Scarecrow in Batman Begins and you see something like a muscled drug lord looking to move into Gotham. Venom probably won't be the super steroid we are used to it being, but then again in comics Batman wasn't only trained by ninjas.
Hathaway will do fine. Rachel Weisz would have been a better choice in my book. Olivia Wilde or Gemma Arterton would have set me ol' ticker to pounding.
Why Bane????
catwoman/Selina yes but why bane???
bane is so out dated and the he does not give tom hardy much to play with.
I know he has a hi iq and is suposed to be a tacical genius but he is to start with powered with venom which to be honest even back then was a bit far fetch then. Later on it was then hinted the non venom bane could be bruce's brother which again was another poor story.
Shortly after the dark knight had come out the talk was all about the riddler what happen to that?? I can understand why no hush and why no croc but why BANE????
I totally fail to see the current obsession with Hathaway. Apparently she'e also in the frame to play Barbarella in another pointless remake. As for having Bane as the villain…..why? He's such a nineties character – looks like a wrestler, utterly one-dimensional and fundamentally stupid. Nolan should have gone for, say, Black Mask as the villain and Killer Croc as his muscle.
I'm sure it'll be fine, but i can't help feeling that it ain't right.
I totally think Anne Hathaway can pull it off. She's a great actress, and she's gorgeous. I think any concerns you might have about her "sweetness" will go away immediately once she's in the outfit and turns on the performance. She's talented enough to make the cleverness AND the sexiness come through.
My mental image of Catwoman is more of the jewel thief/sympathetic criminal who married the Earth-2 Batman, and Hathaway would fit pretty well in that portrayal, I think.
I've never had much interest in the Batman: Year One version of the character (the prostitute). But then, I'm no fan of Frank Miller's contributions to the Batman mythos.
It might be wishful thinking, but I would love her to play both Selina AND Talia… remember what Nolan did with Henri Ducard and Ra`s Al Ghul…
Hardy as Bane could become problematic. The look is there, since the character's half-British, but Bane's Latino roots – yeah, Santa Prisca is fictional, but it's a fictional Caribbean country – have shone through in his previous incarnations. If Nolan & Goyer play him as a straight-up Brit, I'm not sure we can call this much more than a missed opportunity.
I was actually hoping she'd get to be the Black Cat, to be honest. Although she'd be way older than the new Spidey…
Excited for TDKR no matter what.
I was actually pretty excited when they announced Anne Hathaway. So many of the other actresses mentioned couldn't pull of the duality of Selina Kyle.
I can see Anne Hathaway being about the pull of the socialite part of her and still be realistic as a cat burglar.
I'm actually shocked at how many people are opposed to the casting. I love Hathaway, and I'm thrilled to see what she can do in the role. Good for her!
One thing about Nolan is he can certainly be counted on to make unconventional casting choices. Whilst I initially had a WTF reaction to the announcement of Hathaway's casting, I have no doubt that she has the talent to pull off Selina Kyle. It wasn't that long ago that I had a similar reaction to a similar ballsy casting decision, namely Heath Ledger.
Looks like Sean got a bit distracted by the pictures and didn't read my, "And before, like everyone else, you point out movies like Havoc or Rachel Getting Married, I haven't seen those."
@Amber, there is NEVER enough Beckinsale in tight pleather. And Hardy was recently in Inception. You can see a shot of him normally here standing next to how he looked in a film he did called Bronson (very Bane-looking there) http://www.toplessrobot.com/Tom-Hardy-as-Bronson-001.jpg
Have you ever seen "Havoc"? She can get down and dirty, too. I do agree, however, that her goodie-goodie image makes this an odd choice.
"Apparently she beat out Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley for the role, neither of which I would have been particularly pleased about either."
I concur wholeheartedly. I also agree on a lot of your points. As I tweeted, I wanted Olivia Wilde as Catwoman from the first time I saw her almond shaped eyes on House (long before TRON). I'd even prefer Kate Beckinsale but I guess we've seen her in enough tight pleather (have we really?)
Who the fuck is Tom Hardy? The wrestler? Guess I could google it but last time we saw Bane, it was such a douche-chill moment.
Depending on the character arc, given how Anne Hathaway played Agent 99 in Get Smart, (flirty-funny-smart-sexy,) and the fact that she can do pretty intense drama, (Brokeback Mountain,) I think she can pull it off.
Yes, yes I do. http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/anne-hathaway-havoc-splash.jpg
I have total faith in Nolan to produce another outstanding Batman film.
With Bane, I think we're going to see a much different interpretation than in the comics. I'm imagining this Bane will be the international bounty hunter type but with more of a playboy attitude. Sort of a mirror to Bruce Wayne.
As for Selina, I'm thrilled that Hathaway has the role. I think the combination of her and Nolan has incredible potential. I'm most excited because I can't see how they'll play her and that is exactly how I felt when they cast Ledger as the Joker.
I can totally see Hathaway in the role. When she was originally rumoured to be in the running she was my pick!