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Info on this one is sketchy, as the film doesn’t start shooting until the fall, but so far it appears that Halle Berry will star as Patience Price, who is reportedly not the character played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns but “a continuation of the mythology”. But given that Bob Kane is credited as creating the characters, this character would seem to be the Selina Kile/Catwoman, who appears in the Batman comic books. This Catwoman also may or may not have been killed and resurrected, and she may or may not be an animal groomer, gymnast and/or cat burglar. She might be searching for her father’s murderer, or she might be looking to avenge herself on those who murdered her. It all depends on which synopsis you’re reading. And Owen Wilson may co-star as Catwoman’s chief nemesis and Patience’s love interest, or he might not, again, depending on which report you come across.

Whatever the actual plot ends up being, one can be fairly certain that Warner Bros will be pulling out all the stops in support of yet another comic book-to-big screen adaptation. Given the success of these properties of late, and the continuing promise/threat (again, depending on your point of view) of the return of the first two of the new wave of silver-screen comic superheroes, Batman and Superman, Warner has the closest thing to a sure bet that there is in the film business. All that needs to happen is for the marketing to not alienate the character’s existing fans whilst creating an interest amongst those who hear the name Catwoman and instantly think Julie Newmar.

There will be much more information available once the film actually starts shooting. We’ll keep you updated on the developments as they happen, including a plot synopsis based on the actual shooting script as soon as one becomes available. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)


August 21, 2003
The reliably crazy Sharon Stone has just signed on the play the evil head of the cosmetics company (or maybe that's head of an Evil Cosmetics Company). Equally exciting is the news that Lambert Wilson, the French actor who all of you geeks out there will recognize as The Merovingian from Matrix Reloaded, is in negotiations to play her eeeeeeeevil husband. The potential for unabashed hamminess is just exhilarating.

Filming was rumored to be starting in Vancouver some time in September. However, it seems likely that that date will slip, given that Stone has just been signed and no other major cast members have been confirmed yet (although Josh Lucas is apparently being courted for the role that presumably was scheduled to go to Owen Wilson). (Jennifer Turnock/BOP)

February 11, 2004

While it’s not on the same level as seeing the first picture of John Travolta in Battlefield: Earth, you have to admit that seeing Halle Berry in full Catwoman mode for the first time gave you a hell of a jolt. Who are we to question why movie studios do things, however, sometimes you just have to wonder, “What the hell are they thinking?” That’s really the only way to describe the new look for Catwoman; well, it’s really not a new look, per se, but a new Catwoman all together.

In her second ever big screen appearance, Catwoman is an entirely different person. Berry will play Patience Price, a new alter ego for the Catwoman personality. The word from Berry herself is that Price is one of many women that take on the Catwoman persona, suggesting that her character and the one portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992’s Batman Forever might actually co-exist and possibly cross each other’s path. While that’s just the best news we’ve heard since goodness knows when, it only represents a small part of the challenges this film will face when it finally is released in late July.

Right off the bat, the film alienated comic book fans with a new look and a new direction for the film. The new, silly look of Catwoman inspired guffaws and sighs when it was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Another challenge for the film is it’s young and unproven director. Sure, Berry is a big star, but Pitof is a director with a background in special effects, not direction. But who knows, he could be the next genius. Either way, a new director being on board a major vehicle like this can present problems.

But this film might succeed but if it does, it has to do it in spite of Sharon Stone being in the film. Stone has somehow decided that she would stop making films of any significance whatsoever after she missed out on an Oscar for her performance in Casino. Since then, she has been the worst part of such forgettable films as Gloria, The Muse (where she played herself), Simpatico and 2003’s Cold Creek Manor. If an actor/actress ha ever deserved the label of “box office poison”, Stone sure has become a leading candidate for it. If Catwoman is a hit, Stone would see a reversal of fortune many forgotten actors would kill for.

Catwoman will bookend July with Spider-Man 2, a much bigger and higher profile comic book movie. If the WB is lucky, Spidey 2 will have lost some of its momentum by the time the Cat purrs into theatres. Berry certainly will get a lot of attention and could be the best actor in Hollywood who promotes her/his films. There is hope yet for the Cat, but the odds are stacked against it. (Walid Habboub/BOP)

February 27, 2004

Now that the film has wrapped in Vancouver, Catwomans release date has been moved up to July 23rd from its original July 30th release date. The film moves away from opening against M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and the Manchurian Candidate remake and will instead go against the The Bourne Supremacy, the sequel to the Matt Damon spy thriller The Bourne Identity.


(Walid Habboub/BOP)

June 15, 2004

Based on a trailer attached to the IMAX release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Catwoman will be released in June to IMAX theaters using the proprietary DMR process (taking the 35mm print and cleanly blowing it up to IMAX size). Insert your own joke here about "that outfit" on a five story-by-seven story screen. (David Meek/BOP)

July 10, 2004
Depending on whom you believe -- either Warner's decided that they couldn't get the last-minute special effects done in time to meet the IMAX processing deadlines, or Warner's panicked when they got the results back from test screenings -- it is now official: Catwoman has been dropped from the IMAX release schedule. In its place, Sony has stepped up to put Spider-Man 2 in IMAX theaters the same weekend.
(David Meek/BOP)

Vital statistics for Catwoman Main Cast Halle Berry, Sharon Stone Supporting Cast Benjamin Bratt, Alex Borstein, Michael Massee, Lambert Wilson Director Pitof Screenwriter Ed Solomon Distributor Warner Bros. Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.catwoman.com/ Rating PG-13 Running Time 104 minutes Screen Count 3,117 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Catwoman
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
X2: X-Men United	5/2/03	85.56	85.56	3741	22871.00	22871.0	214.95	214.95	2.51
X-Men, The	7/14/00	54.47	60.93	3025	18007.00	19376.7	157.30	175.97	2.89
Batman Forever	6/16/95	52.78	73.16	2842	18571.00	24761.3	184.03	255.10	3.49
Batman Returns	6/19/92	47.72	69.33	2644	18048.00	25223.7	162.83	236.59	3.41
Die Another Day	11/22/02	47.07	48.93	3314	14204.00	14204.0	160.93	167.31	3.42
Daredevil	2/14/03	45.03	45.03	3471	12974.00	12974.0	102.54	102.54	2.28
Batman and Robin	6/20/97	42.87	56.31	2934	14611.00	18462.7	107.33	140.99	2.50
Batman	6/23/89	42.71	64.54	2194	19467.00	28297.9	251.19	379.62	5.88
Shanghai Noon	5/26/00	15.61	17.46	2711	5758.00	6196.0	56.90	63.65	2.90