Whatever your own personal feelings and opinions on this year’s DCEU movie debuts, they’ve did exactly what they set out to do. ‘BvS’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ made a shitload of cash, and they inspired a veritable apocalypse of journalistic and social media debate. Sure, there were glaring mis-steps. And there were also blindingly obvious mistakes. But even the cag-handed editing issues around the two movies pales into insignificance when measured against the long terms plans for this new ‘Extended Universe’. DC and Warner Bros. will learn from their mistakes, and they’ll improve upon them.
Arguably, one of the strongest elements of the two opening DCEU movies has been in their casting choices. Critics and observers who initially trapped off about Ben Affleck being cast as Batman have been forced to spectacularly backpedal. And whatever the issues around re-shoots and rewrites to make the movies more accessible to wider audiences, the actors cast to play the characters have largely avoided any form of critical mauling. Well, other than Jesse Eisenberg, that is…
Of course, the most obvious success story has been that of Harley Quinn. Hell, it was always going to be. A character so good that it had made the jump from TV to comic, rather than vice versa, the selection of Margot Robbie has ensured that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Dr Harleen Quinzel in the future, and has raised some pretty big questions about the creation and casting of other prospective female DCEU villains.
With the recent announcement that the next live-action jaunt into the alleyways of Gotham will be a ‘Gotham City Sirens’ movie, it’s been largely anticipated that another two of Batman’s ‘tarts with hearts’ will be set to put in an appearance. Reporting for duty alongside Harley Quinn will be Poison Ivy and Catwoman, with initial reports speculating that Megan Fox is being considered to play Ivy. So who should be given a shot at playing Selena Kyle alongside her?
Time was, when you wanted to cast a female comic book character, you just went for the biggest name you could think of. This was certainly true for our previous Catwoman actors, being Michelle Pfieffer, Halle Berry and Anne Hathaway. But that’s not the way these things work anymore. The goal these days seems to be to cast someone much lower down the pecking order and then convert them into a star of the future. Just look at who DC have turned to so far. Gal Gadot, unknown outside a few appearances in the Fast/Furious franchise prior to BVS. Cara Delivigne, a model with no real previous acting experience. And Margot Robbie, a former Australian TV soap actress.
The story of Selena Kyle and her relationship with Bruce Wayne is pure comic book gold, far more interesting and engaging than the standard romances found in other storylines. We need an actress who can convince as a former street-brawler turned high-class jewel thief. Somebody whose features are as pleasing as her footwork. Someone who can actually convincingly kick Ben Affleck’s ass. Any ideas? Well, we certainly have…
12. Yuliya Snigir
Still largely unknown to audiences outside of her native homeland, this talented actress became an overnight sensation when she starred in the massively expensive Russian sci-fi series ‘Dark Planet’. Even in her early work on that franchise she somehow managed to look absolutely stunning, whether playing a noblewoman or a slave, and she’s gone in to be memorable in every performance she’s turned in.
Yuliya has now managed to convert her early domestic success into a few western roles, most notably in ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, in which she spent the majority of her screentime kicking seven shades of shit out of Bruce Willis and DC debutant Jai Courtney. Frankly, they deserved it, given the poor quality of the fifth installment in the series. Balancing the good looks and lethal moves an actress would need to play Batman’s sometime ally/enemy/lover, Snigir is a girl that’s definitely worth taking a gamble on.
11. Tanit Phoenix
Much as the in the world of boxing, where the fighting classes are subdivided based on a participant’s optimum weight, there must surely be an unspoken equivalent set of divisions for the world of the film-geek. Regular mainstream cinema attendance? That makes you a ‘Lightweight’. Regular watcher of Eastern European sci-fi and hardcore anime DVD’s? Welcome to being a ‘Super Heavyweight’, my friend.
I’d argue that spending your time actively seeking out DVD accompaniments for mainstream summer blockbusters would push you immediately up into the heavyweight division, and your travels may well bring you across the ‘Death Race’ sidequel/prequels. With the Stath substituted for a fairly likeable Luke Goss, they’re relative acceptable going, and even offer up a rather steamy pre-TWD appearance by Lauren Cohan.
They also showcase South African Actress Tanit Phoenix, who recently became Mrs Phoenix-Cooley when she married fellow countryman and ‘District 9’ actor, Sharlto Copley. Her work in two of the ‘Death Race’ movies more than highlight how this dark and sultry actress is capable of kicking some serious butt. She’s starred in a significant number of tense and dramatic crime thrillers in a South Africa, and she’s more than got the sufficient sass and attitude needed to play Gotham’s most famous thief.
10. Sarah Greene
Our little whistle-stop global search for suitable Catwoman candidates brings us to the shores of the UK now, and to the front door of this Irish actress. Greene is the ex-girlfriend of LOTR/Poldark actor Aiden Turner, and has made a name for herself with a strong base of theatre work. Recently, shes also made the jump from the stage and onto our screens, with roles in TV shows such as ‘Vikings’ and movies such as ‘The Guard’ opposite Brendan Gleeson. But it’s her performance as the sinister witch, Hecate Poole, across two seasons of ‘Penny Dreadful’ that earns her a place on our list.
It’s no mean feat to steel some screen-time from Eva Green, many have tried and failed. But the third and final series of the show had Greene’s sexy supernatural villain seductively smouldering all over Josh Hartnett, whilst simultaneously slaughtering unfortunate victims left, right and centre. This convincing combination of murder and mayhem prove that she’s more than overqualified for any villainous comic book role.
9. Grace Park
After a couple of years cropping up in sci-fi shows such as ‘Stargate SG1’, ‘The Outer Limits’ and ‘Dark Angel’, this American actress hit the big time in 2004 when she was cast as the lead in the rebooted ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series. Park would go on to spend the next seven years in the role of fighter pilot and (Spoiler alert!) Cylon agent Sharon ‘Boomer’ Valerii. It was a dream role, casting her as a character that frequently had to switch between multiple personalities, and survive a whole range of complicated and tricky situations.
It also required her to be able to fight and shoot as well as her male counterparts, which she was easily able to achieve. Park would go on to roll straight out of ‘BSG’ into an identical high-kicking lead role, that of Kono Kalakaua in yet another reboot, ‘Hawaii Five-O’. She has more than a healthy dose of beauty, as well as the requisite brawn, and would be a winning fit for the role of Catwoman.
8. Jessica De Gouw
Our search brings us to one of Margot Robbie’s fellow antipodeans now, and to a young actress who has already crossed the pond and managed to score a string of roles in American TV shows including ‘Dracula’ and her new series ‘Underground’. Of course, it helps that she’s so already cut her teeth in the role of a big DC character, having played the CW version of Helena Bertinelli, AKA The Huntress.
Anybody who saw her performance in ‘Arrow’ will agree that she’s a total shoe-in for the role of Selena Kyle. As comfortable in an evening dress as she is in figure-hugging leather, she’s got the moves and the mannerisms needed to manipulate and manhandle the menfolk of Gotham, whilst trying to maintain a complicated relationship with the city’s most famous superhero.
7. Alexandra Daddario
Considering she’s next due to show up on our screens in next year’s ‘Baywatch’ reboot, you might consider Daddario a touch unsuitable for inclusion in this list, but there’s a lot more to this gorgeous girl than just her looks.
She was one of the few things in last year’s ‘San Andreas’ to actually invoke any character or emotion as Dwayne Johnson battled to stop America from falling into the sea, and she’s also turned in a string of solid character performances in shows such as ‘True Detective’ and ‘American Horror Story’. If you get the chance, try and watch her alongside Anton Yelchin in one of his last movies, ‘Burying The Ex’, which will convince you that she’s deserving of a shot at the title.
6. Paula Patton
With all the controversy over at Marvel about the ‘whitewashing’ of actors cast to play their ethnic properties, DC seem eager to approach the issue with a much more open mind, happily casting actors of colour to play previously white roles, and opening the door for the former Mrs Robin Thicke to play the DCEU version of the character.
Despite her first credited film role being in the Will Smith rom-com ‘Hitch’, back in 2005, she’s gone one to star in a series of high-action offerings, including ‘Deja Vu’, ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘2 Guns’ and ‘Warcraft’. This girl is as game as she is glamorous, with a proven track record for turning in high quality performances. So why not give her a chance for this?
5. Alexa Davalos
Whilst only having a small number of acting credits to her name, the few roles that Davalos has played have been across a broad range of successful and exciting projects. First coming to audience attention in films such as ‘The Mist’, and ‘Defiance’, she has now moved onto TV in projects such as ‘Mob City’ and Amazon’s massively successful ‘Man In The High Castle’.
But it’s her role as Kyra in ‘Chronicles Of Riddick’ for which she will be most fondly remembered. From the first moment she sidles onto the screen in the prison sequence it’s clear that the young girl we knew from the start of the franchise has become a woman not to be messed with. Which essentially is the backstory of Selena Kyle, right?
4. Olivia Wilde
One of the most beautiful and talented ladies working in Hollywood right now, this former model-turned-actress is as comfortable in an indie flick as she is in a major summer blockbuster. Starring in the ill-fated ‘Tron’ reboot, she looked like she’d been poured into her tight leather catsuit, which naturally pushes her way up the list for the role of Catwoman.
Wilde appears to have no issue with sending herself up, and also a love for the genre, having starred in fantasy flicks such as ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ and ‘In Time’, as well as a catalogue of hilarious voice performances in ‘Robot Chicken’, ‘Bojack Horseman’ and ‘Son Of Zorn’. In terms of being a bit of a geek herself, she may well be the strongest candidate on the list.
3. Rebecca Ferguson
This Swedish actress exploded into the mainstream last year with her inclusion in the action-packed ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’. In fact, her complicated but deadly spy Ilsa Faust was such a hit with critics and fans alike that she’ll be returning for the sixth instalment in that franchise next year.
She’s also starred as a lethal Amazon warrior alongside Dwayne Johnson in ‘Hercules’, as well as a role in this year’s tension-packed adaptation of hit novel ‘The Girl On The Train’. She was touted for some time as the odds-on favourite to play Carol Danvers, prior to Marvel’s casting of Brie Larsen, so why not give her another complicated and iconic comic book character to have a crack at?
2. Sofia Boutella
If we were to go back to the movie that first bought this Algerian actress to the attention of US cinema goers, then it might be a bit of a surprise to find her sat so high up this list today. Using her background as a dancer, Boutella took the lead in ‘Streetdance 2’ back in 2012, but immediately managed to capitalise on the small Hollywood foothold that the role bought her.
Solid performances in ‘Monsters: Dark Continent’ and ‘Kingsman’ led her to headline this year’s ‘Star Trek: Beyond’, in which she managed to impress, despite being buried under a think layer of prosthetics and makeup. Next up she’s spearheading Universal’s extended Monster Universe in the rebooted ‘Mummy’ franchise. She looks a million dollars, wether she’s romancing you, or ripping your arm out of its socket. Clearly, one of the favorites.
1. Emily Blunt
If Hollywood rumor is to be believed, this English Rose has already been offered one of the biggest female superhero roles going, as it’s widely whispered that the only reason that ScarJo was cast as Black Widow was because Blunt turned down the role.
In addition to being jaw-droppingly, drop-dead gorgeous, she’s more than proven her qualifications for the role with her eye-popping performances in both ‘Sicario’ and ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’. The strongest contender in the field, she’ll take some beating. Well, unless she decides to turn another superhero role down. Blunt will definitely be a name officially linked to this role further down the line. Trust us, we’re only wrong about these things like half the time. The over half, we’re just mistaken…
What do you think of these potential choices for Catwoman? Be sure to sound off in the comment section below!