2023 is an emotional year for Batman fans, as Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne bid farewell to his journey as the Caped Crusader. He featured in The Flash earlier this summer in a cameo appearance. All Affleck’s character had to do was advise Barry Allen.
Needless to say, Affleck didn’t need much preparation for that. However, the same can’t be said for Robert Pattinson, who accepted the mantle of carrying forward the iconic character in The Batman. As such, when in 2020 he jokingly confessed to not working out all the time for the part, he attracted plenty of negative reactions from Batman’s dedicated fans.
Pattinson later set the record straight by revealing that the reason he made the joke was because he thought talking about how you’re working out is really embarrassing. Before the release of the movie, while the Englishman tried being modest, his co-star Zoë Kravitz was more than happy to talk about just how much work she had put in for the role of Catwoman.
How Zoë Kravitz Prepared for The Batman to Outshine Michelle Pfeiffer
Often in the case of legacy franchises like Batman or Superman fans end up spending a lot of time comparing one actor’s Batman portrayal with the other’s, often forgetting his opposite lead is also trying to fill the shoes of a legendary character. Be it, Lois Lane or Selina Kyle, it takes a lot of work to bring these characters effectively to the big screen.
When it comes to Batman’s Selina, Michelle Pfeiffer‘s sensual and at the same time dangerously unpredictable performance in Batman Returns in 1992 is considered a benchmark. In particular, her use of the whip still remains fresh in fans’ minds as it intensified the idea of femme fatale. In the famous mall scene, Catwoman brilliantly whips off the heads of four mannequins. The Scarface star later revealed that she trained how to use the signature tool for Tim Burton’s comic book sequel.
Accordingly, in order to outshine or even get as much praise as Pfeiffer, Zoë Kravitz also had to do a lot of work. Speaking to Empire, she revealed:
“We watched cats and lions and how they fight and talked about what is actually possible when you’re my size, and Batman’s so much stronger than me. What is my skill? It’s being fast and tricky. So we did some really interesting floor work that incorporated different kinds of martial arts and capoeira and a kind of feline, dance-like movement.”
Kravitz did a fine job in the movie but didn’t use the whip as much as Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. The only time we see her rocking it is when she attacks Penguin’s warehouse for cash.
Will Zoë Kravitz Return as Catwoman in The Batman Part II?
Kravitz’s performance was much more down to earth and made her appear more like a human than a cold-hearted cat. Whether that makes her more likable than Pfeiffer really depends on how each individual views the character itself. However, she did enough to command another go.
The Batman Part II is still at least two years away from release, as such, very little is known about the movie’s plot or cast. All we know is that Matt Reeves will continue to direct the franchise, and his story won’t necessarily align with DCU.
As far as the cast is concerned, Pattinson is set to reprise his role. Andy Serkis has also been confirmed to return as Alfred Pennyworth. But we don’t have any official word on the future of the brilliant 34-year-old actress in Batman’s world.
Read more: Ezra Miller’s Ex-girlfriends: Did ‘The Flash’ Star Date ‘The Batman’ Actor Zoë Kravitz?
Source: Empire
