What's a day without a new Internet casting rumor? The interwebs are abuzz with chatter about Transformers hottie Megan Fox possibly being cast as the next Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman sequel. Possibly, as in there are no reported confirmations of this possible disaster in the making.
While Fox sure is pretty to look at, moviegoers have learned from recent mistakes — Halle Berry as the frisky feline in 2004's Catwoman and Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992's Batman Returns — the role, especially in a Nolan Batman pic, requires much more than a pretty face and hot body.
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Julie Newmar famously first played Catwoman on TV's Batman for 14 episodes from 1966 to 1968 and nailed the role in the perfect blend of camp and seriousness opposite Adam West's Caped Crusader. Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriwether later went on to dawn the ears and tail as one of Batman's most enduring love interests.
The character, created by Batman creator Bob Kane, is said to be partially inspired by 1930s film icon Jean Harlow. Kane and DC Comics' Batman writer Bill Finger created the character to be a blend of a friendly foe and love interest in the hero's quest to reform the bad girl.
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Judging from boxoffice history, Berry's 2004 incarnation was considered a critical failure (it grossed $40 million domestically while carrying a production budget of $100 million), and Pfeiffer — opposite Michael Keaton — had somewhat more success in the sequel to the 1989 film that put the franchise back on the map.
But what really makes for a good Catwoman? And given the history of Nolan's dark Batman films starring Christian Bale, will the character — if she is part of the script — be more than just a pretty face destined to play with Batman's emotions? And more importantly, can Fox pull it off?
We're certainly excited to see Fox star opposite Amanda Seyfried as a possessed cheerleader who goes on a killing spree and targets her male classmates in next month's Jennifer's Body, especially with a script from Diablo Cody (Juno), but will the actress — who's already cast in another comic book adaptation, 2010's Jonah Hex, fit in to a franchise with such critical and boxoffice success?
What do you think? What makes for a good Catwoman?
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