The Fancasting Room | 5 Actresses ‘Purr’-fect for Catwoman

Matt Reeves’ The Batman finally seems to be firing on all cylinders and moving forward. For a while, it didn’t seem like we would ever get a new solo Batman film. Especially with all the “Will he or won’t he” in regards to Ben Affleck reprising the role in the solo film.

At one point, Affleck was attached to direct, write, and star in the film. Now? Fans will instead be getting a very new Bruce Wayne/Batman in the form of Robert Pattinson.

This casting will grow on people. I guarantee it.

So, now that we know who will be playing the Caped Crusader, the question then becomes who will be playing the villains opposing “Battinson?” It was announced that The Penguin and Catwoman will be appearing in the film, with both likely to be central villains.

The dynamic between Batman and Catwoman in the comics is anything but simple. Enemies one minute, lovers the next. This dynamic will be not only entertaining to watch, but also a crucial part to the relationship between the two. Whoever they cast in the role will need to have electrifying chemistry with Pattinson.

Let’s take a look at some of the candidates Warner Bros. should absolutely consider…

Sofia Boutella

Sofia Boutella was very much unknown prior to her scene stealing performance in Matthew Vaughan’s own comic-book adaptation in the 2014 release of Kingsman: The Secret Service. There Boutella played Gazelle, Samuel L. Jackson’s badass, knife-legged, right-hand woman/assassin. Her character had some of the best action scenes in the entire film.

Boutella’s star began to rise after that role as she starred in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond as the badass alien, warrior princess Jaylah. She then landed the title role in Universal’s 2017 reboot of The Mummy as Ahmanet and appeared in Atomic Blonde that same year.

Clearly, Boutella has the action chops to pull off the role of Catwoman, and those that have seen her work know she is a gifted actress as well, one that is capable of playing the ever-deceptive Selina Kyle. Boutella should be near the top of everyone’s list for Catwoman, she has all the tools and intangibles to knock this role out of the park.

Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer is no stranger to being fancasted. She is a very versatile actress with hugely appealing and charming screen presence, which has earned her a sizable following over the years. It was her scene-stealing role as Queen Margaery on HBO’s wildly popular Game of Thrones, that really put Dormer on the map and got her recognized by not only the geek community, but casual audiences as well.

Dormer has appeared in some high-profile films, namely The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, but she has yet to find that role that would allow her to truly breakout and become a household name.

Selina Kyle seems right up Dormer’s alley, and if her deceptive & charming performance as Margaery is any indication, Dormer has the ability to give us a very comic-accurate portrayal of the cat burglar. She has this sense of confidence about her on screen that really reaches out and grabs the audiences’ attention. Hopefully, she can grab some casting directors’ attention as well.

Gemma Arteron

Gemma Arterton’s career has been relatively quiet recently with her most recent role in Netflix’s original film, Murder Mystery. There was a time when Arterton was in everything, and rightfully so as she is a gifted and versatile actress. Recently she’s been set back by starring in some films that she couldn’t save on her own. Her performances were never the problem as much as the scripts.

Arterton has this magnetic on-screen presence that no matter what is happening in the film, you just can’t take your eyes off her. She’s more than proven throughout her career she is capable of handling action-oriented roles. Gemma has starred in The Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans, and Quantum of Solace. Now, these films were far from runaway hits financially or critically, but she still managed to shine in each of them.

A huge part of the relationship between Catwoman and Batman is their banter back-and-forth. For proof that Arterton could more than handle her own trading quips and jabs with Pattinson, look no further than the dynamic between her character in The Prince of Persia and Jake Gyllenhaal’s titular character Dastan. She’s more than a match for her male co-stars.

Rebecca Ferguson

Perhaps the most logical candidate on the list, Rebecca Ferguson really broke out to mainstream audiences with her role as Elsa Faust in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, a role which she reprised in the franchise’s most recent entry, Mission Impossible: Fallout. Her role as Faust is essentially a badass, secret agent version of Selina Kyle. She’s a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and extremely deceptive, always having a subversive agenda she is working to accomplish.

In all honesty, her role in the Mission Impossible films is really all you need to be convinced that Ferguson would make a brilliant Catwoman. She steps into action-heavy roles with confidence and kicks so much ass with so much ease.

She recently starred in Men in Black: International as an alien arms dealer, emphasis on the “arms” part as, well, she has three of them. Ferguson has shown that she has no problem playing the female force, and her on-screen dynamic with Tom Cruise’s character on the MI series is a great indicator how she would handle the dialogue between her character and Batman.

Aubrey Plaza

Here it is, the wild card pick!

Plaza is mostly known for her raunchy, over-the-top comedic roles, which is definitely not a bad thing. She has this unique sense of humor made effective by her, equally unique, comedic delivery. Additionally, Aubrey has this sense of self-confidence that shows she doesn’t care what anybody thinks. Plaza is not afraid to say the things people shouldn’t say or tell the jokes that most are afraid to tell out of fear of backlash.

This will all come in handy while taking on the role of Selina Kyle. As mentioned already, the dynamic between Batman and Catwoman is crucial, and in the comics, they insult and berate each other constantly. Their relationship is complex, but Plaza would be more than capable of holding her own trading off insults in the dialogue.

Her role in FX’s Legion has also shown that Plaza is not only no stranger to comic-book adaptations, but that she can thrive in a comic role as well. Plaza may not be the first name that comes to mind for Selina Kyle, but she should be. She possesses all the qualities to give us a fantastic portrayal of Catwoman. There’s more to her than just raunchy jokes.