Zoë Kravitz reveals she was excited to actually play Selina Kyle in The Batman and explore her backstory rather than dive right into Catwoman. Kravitz becomes the fifth actress to bring Catwoman to life on the big screen following Lee Meriwether in the Adam West-led Batman movie, Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992's Batman Returns, Halle Berry in a solo film for the character and Anne Hathaway in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. The High Fidelity alum also previously voiced Catwoman in The Lego Batman Movie.
The Batman serves as a reboot to the character's film franchise and shifts the focus to Bruce Wayne's second year of fighting crime as he investigates a tangled web of corruption in Gotham City with ties to his family and searches for the cryptic serial killer known as The Riddler. Alongside Kravitz, the cast for the new film includes Robert Pattinson in the titular role, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot. Hailing from co-writer/director Matt Reeves, The Batman is currently gearing up to hit theaters on March 4 and those behind the film are offering insight for the highly anticipated film.
During a recent Q&A Screen Rant attended for the film, Zoë Kravitz opened up about her work in The Batman. The actress revealed she was excited to actually play Selina Kyle and develop the character before she becomes the iconic antiheroine Catwoman. See what Kravitz said below:
"I mean, the character is so well developed in the script, and I was really excited to explore her backstory and where she comes from, and the process that she goes through in terms of becoming closer to what will be Catwoman. But it was really lovely to be able to play Selina and not have to jump straight to Catwoman. I think with these iconic characters that we all love so much, it can be overwhelming in terms of, 'Okay, now here's Catwoman' And I have this wonderful opportunity to slowly develop her and the audience gets to come on that journey with me. But you know, obviously learning all the combat and the way she moves and finding ways to hint at who she will become, it was a really fun process."
Kravitz's excitement of getting to actually play Selina Kyle in The Batman does speak to the lack of character development many past portrayals of Kyle have brought to the screen. Though Pfeiffer's performance in Batman Returns is celebrated for her chemistry with Michael Keaton and her ferocity, Selina gets little proper screen time before diving right into her Catwoman persona. While Halle Berry's Catwoman is an entirely different person with Patience Phillips taking the moniker, it too put little attention on the woman behind the mask in favor of showing off her antiheroic side.
Anne Hathaway and Camren Bicondova's performances in The Dark Knight Rises and Gotham do stand out as rare examples of properly exploring Selina Kyle before diving into her life as Catwoman. The marketing for The Batman and discussions from Matt Reeves and the cast have pointed towards a better character development for all of its characters rather than focusing on their masked alter egos, establishing it as one of the more ambitious and expansive adaptations of the DC Comics hero. The wait for The Batman is nearly over as the film hits theaters on March 4.
