Catwoman

By: Corona's Coming Attractions
Date: Thursday, June 03, 2004

Genre:
Comic Book Adaptation/Action.

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Production Company:
Unknown.

Project Phase:
Released.

Who's In It:
Halle Berry (Patience Price/"Catwoman"); Sharon Stone (Laurel Hedare); Benjamin Bratt (Detective Tom Lone); Lambert Wilson (Georges Hedare); Alex Borstein (Sally); Michael Massee; Frances Conroy (Ophelia Powers); Byron Mann.

Who's Making It:
Pitof (Director); John Rogers, Ed Solomon, John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris (Screenwriters); Denise Di Novi, Edward McDonnell (Producers); Michael E. Uslan, Benjamin Melniker, Sara E. White, Alison Greenspan (Executive Producers); Thierry Arbogast (Director of Photography); Sylvie Landra (Editor); Bill Brzeski (Production Designer); Angus Strathie (Costume Designer); Klaus Badelt (Musical Score).

Premise:
Patience Price, a demure worker for mammoth cosmetics company Hedare Beauty, accidentally discovers the sinister secret behind her company's soon-to-be-released anti-aging cosmetic. After being left for dead by goons working for Hedare and its scheming owner, Laurel, Patience is brought back to life with the superhuman abilities of a feline including enhanced speed, agility, strength and heightened senses. Seeking justice, the new Catwoman vows to expose Laurel Hedare.

Release Date:
July 23, 2004.

Comments:
Could this be the movie that breathes life back for Warner Bros. superhero movies? Perhaps, but finding an A-level actress to play the new Catwoman is proving to be as difficult as finding the next actor to play Superman...or Batman...

Though there may some residual taint left from alleged minute elements in Rogers' script lifted from the canned and much criticized effort by Kate Kondell and Theresa Rebeck, it won't really matter in the first week's box office. Still, after the last few Bat-films and the major problems WB's SUPERMAN film is having, this one had best be good, because its success, or lack thereof, could affect the franchise and comic book films in general.

Scoop Feedback:

July 17, 2003... A reliable industry source who has scooped Coming Attractions in the past has said that Warner Bros. may be close to pulling the plug on its CATWOMAN feature film. Actress Halle Berry is attached to play the adventurous costumed heroine.

Our informant doesn't know specifics but they've told us about numerous industry developments before they've broken publically, such as Warner's decision to move the production of TERMINATOR 3 from lensing in Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles instead. "It's stillborn," was what they cryptically told us about what's happened with CATWOMAN.

On the surface it still appears as business as usual. The CATWOMAN production still has an active production office phone number and remains pencilled in for a September start of filming in Vancouver. Whether that information will change in the weeks to come remains to be seen, but as we mentioned, our source has been privy to these kinds of decisions before they are publically announced.

For now take our scoop as an unconfirmed rumor that comes from good sources. If the studio has terminated its CATWOMAN movie this is the first anyone's heard of it.

[Anonymous wonders why Warners can't seem to pull the trigger on their superhero movies.]

July 22, 2003... Last Thursday we page&obj_id=39162" target="_blank">reported a rumor that the CATWOMAN feature film was in trouble and in danger of not happening. After reaching the ears of our friends at Warner Bros., a representative for the studio contacted Coming Attractions to inform us that the information our source told us was incorrect; "pure rumor" were the representative's exact words. The CATWOMAN feature film was scheduled to begin filming on September 10 and nothing is standing in its way. Right?

Well, we're not here to derail Warner's superhero movies. If the studio wants to acknowledge a rumor and address that there are no problems with the production, we couldn't be happier. However, a second website has now heard of trouble associated with CATWOMAN.

According to sources speaking with IGN FilmForce, target="_blank">multiple souces have stated that major creative issues are hampering the project. The website goes on to say that while their sources tell them CATWOMAN isn't dead, "the feeling held by many insiders is that the project is turning into a ticking bomb," writes FilmForce reporter Stax.

FilmForce addresses three critical points their sources told them. One, word is the latest draft by screenwriter Ed Solomon (MEN IN BLACK) is "dull, pretentious, charmless, unfunny, and lacking an understanding of the title character and her lore."

Second, there may now be concern that CATWOMAN director Pitof may not be the man the studio wants for the project. Will the French special effects supervisor's take on the comic book heroine lure American audiences in? The disappointing grosses for THE HULK, which some critics have said was too cerebral and full of complicated characterization, may be playing a part in this change of heart.

Third, FilmForce's sources state that the Catwoman character is slated to have a cameo in Christopher Nolan's new BATMAN picture. Warners reportedly doesn't wish to crossover between their franchises, which may be one of the reasons why their proposed SUPERMAN VS. BATMAN feature fell apart when heat began to build on the two characters' separate franchises. Further complicating matters is the rumor that the Catwoman character slated to cameo in the new BATMAN is Selina Kyle, the original character, and not Patience Price (who's in CATWOMAN.)

But even with all of these creative troubles, FilmForce's reporter concedes that the film is still likely to be made. "Warners simply can't sit on the sidelines any longer while Marvel Studios rides the comic book movie bandwagon," writes Stax. [FilmForce.]

August 21, 2003... Sharon Stone is the leading candidate to play CATWOMAN's adversary in the movie of the same name, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Stone would play a character named Laurel, the head of a cosmetics company by day, evil criminal mastermind by night.

Reporter also states that Josh Lucas (THE HULK) is now the top candidate to play Detective Lone, an ally of the Catwoman. Halle Berry remains attached to the project, with French special effects artist Pitof still slated to direct. [The Hollywood Reporter.]

September 18, 2003... After hearing rumors that Owen Wilson (SHANGHAI KNIGHTS) and Josh Lucas (HULK) were the frontrunners for the role, a decision has finally been announced as to who will play the police detective ally for CATWOMAN. Actor Benjamin Bratt has won the part of Det. Tom Lone, a Lake City cop who develops romantic feelings for Catwoman's alter ego, veternarian Patience Price (Halle Berry.)

Sharon Stone and MATRIX RELOADED's Lambert Wilson play the wife-and-husband who use their comestics company as a front for criminal activity.

CATWOMAN begins filming in 11 days. [The Hollywood Reporter.]

September 29, 2003... The Hollywood North Report website was

there to take photographs from the first day of filming the CATWOMAN production in Vancouver. Filming in the downtown portion of the city (Hastings and Hornby to be exact), the HNR team photographed Halle Berry, the crew and the show's vehicles as they prepared to film a scene.

See the photos right here.

September 30, 2003... Time magazine has landed the world exclusive first look at the CATWOMAN costume. The image of the titular heroine appears in the print version of the magazine while the online version of the article contains a quote or two from the actress who plays Catwoman, Halle Berry. "Catwoman is out to save herself," quips Berry as she compares her character to the motivations of other DC Comics heroes such as Superman.

Nevertheless, the photo of the new Catwoman costume is now splashed across the web (and in this story), appearing on dozens of film websites virtually instantaneously. They say that a picture tells a thousand words, so go click on this article's photo to see a larger view of the radical new look for the character and then tell us what you think of it. [Time magazine.]

October 2, 2003... MAD TV alumni Alex Borstein and 24 supporting cast member Michael Massee have joined the cast of Warner Bros. CATWOMAN, now filming. Borstein will play the best friend of Patience Price, Halle Berry's character while Massee has been cast as another villain. They join Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt and Lambert Wilson already working on the production. [The Hollywood Reporter.]

October 16, 2003... Superhero Hype has published two brand-new looks at Halle Berry in her shredded CATWOMAN costume. The photos provide a better, closer-up look at the costume.

We nabbed one of the photos to show you, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Have 1k more of an opinion about Berry's threads by checking out the other CATWOMAN costume photo!

November 5, 2003... Hollywood North Report again spies on the set of CATWOMAN and snags five exclusive shots showing...Halle Berry painting a wall mural?

Well, with a little help from co-star Alex Bornstein.

See the rest of the images and wonder what the heck this has to do with costume crusaders. [Hollywood North Report.]

November 28, 2003... More photos of Halle Berry in her dressed-to-kill CATWOMAN costume are turning up on the web. First, The Sun newspaper has two shots of Berry astride a black motorcycle decked out in racing gear. Next, there's Hollywood North Report with shots from the Gastown location shoot of CATWOMAN showing Berry's bike stunt double earning her paycheck. [The Sun, Hollywood North Report.]

January 30, 2004... On yesterday's broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Halle Berry sent the queen of daytime talk a video greeting for Oprah's 50th birthday bash -- with Halle all dressed up in her Catwoman costume threads.

The video of the birthday card from the kitty is now available from two websites: Berry's official website and on The Movie Box.

(No cheap shots about Berry's Catwoman costume were given during the making of this news article, and it was a difficult thing to do.)

February 12, 2004... The world's biggest distributor and maker of video games, Electronic Arts, has announced that it has acquired the rights to make games based on Warner Bros. upcoming CATWOMAN film. The multi-year agreement allows EA to create CATWOMAN games for all current and next generation video game consoles, as well as handheld units and computers.

"CATWOMAN is a great complement to EA's portfolio of global blockbusters and we look forward to delivering a great game based on the film," said Bruce McMillan, EA Executive Vice President on the business arrangement between companies.

Adds Jason Hall, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, "As we have enjoyed successful ventures with EA, we are looking forward to continuing the relationship with CATWOMAN. The action, adventure, storyline, and characters in the film offer fertile ground for the development of compelling games."

EA describes their first CATWOMAN game as follows:

Gamers will control Catwoman as they play the movie, utilizing her unique catlike skills, senses and cunning to defeat her enemies. Boasting incredible acrobatic skills, Catwoman can leap across roofs, run up walls, pounce on prey, utilize inimitable "cat senses," and avoid enemy bullets with feline grace. In addition, she can use her whip to swing through the air, and utilize the fully interactive enviroments to trap or knock her foes unconcious. The game will take players through numerous levels set in seven different locations from the movie.

[Source: Electronic Arts.]

April 20, 2004... Today the comic book website Newsarama published an article written by Jim Lee, the popular artist whose recent run on BATMAN helped bring DC's book back to the top of the industry charts. Titled "Jim Lee's True Hollywood Stories: Halle & Me", Lee writes about his experience travelling to the set of CATWOMAN and meeting actress Halle Berry.

"It was an incredible experience," writes Lee in his piece, "being on the set and watching what I had read in the script come to life in front of my eyes. There were some incredible sets and backdrops constructed for this film (one tied into [Catwoman's] origin and the other was the set of her final, climactic showdown with the main villain) and they were impressive to behold in person and up close."

During his time spent on-set, Lee drew sketches of the actress in her Catwoman costume, showing them to Berry between shots. In all Lee drew about 20 illustrations, with one of them serving as the cover for DC's upcoming comic book adaptation of the motion picture. Others will be used in a CATWOMAN sketchbook.

To see other shots taken during that night as well as one of Lee's sketches of Catwoman, click here to read the Newsarama article. [Newsarama.]

April 26, 2004... Warner Bros. has handed us the new teaser poster for CATWOMAN, Halle Berry's upcoming superhero movie due out July 30. Let's see...Halle Berry crouching? Check. Wearing her skin-tight leather costume? Check. Does she have gloves with claws? Check. Is there a tail to be seen? Unfortunately no, but you should always save something for the sequel.

Click on the photo above to see a big photo of the kitty. [Warner Bros.]

May 3, 2004... BET's website has an exclusive video you can download containing animatics from Warner Bros.' CATWOMAN movie. If you're unaware, animatics are a form of video animation that filmmakers use to storyboard action sequences in a movie. Since the rise of computer graphics in the 1990s, animatic sequences have become more detailed, providing the filmmakers with more opportunity to specify their vision for the movie sequences.

The CATWOMAN animatic shows Halle Berry's character leaping and running along rooptops at night. The CGI sequences are punctuated by brief moments of live-action footage of Berry (in her Catwoman costume) shot against a green-screen backdrop.

Download the CATWOMAN video here. You can select from either Windows or Real Player formats. [Black Entertainment Network.]

We've also expanded our cast and crew listing for the film.

May 21, 2004... If you've been growling to see the new trailer for CATWOMAN for the first or fifth time since its theatrical debut last week, Apple's trailer website is your friend today. The trailer is now available for download in small, medium and large formats and in QuickTime (of course.)

Say kitty-kitty with your mouse by clicking here. If you have a big red marker and you're within arm's reach of a calendar, you can decide if the following needs to be noted: CATWOMAN opens in theaters on July 23. [Apple.com.]

June 2, 2004... The next single from Britney Spears bestselling In the Zone album will be featured in the CATWOMAN movie. Spears is slated to shoot the music video for "Outrageous" sometime next week during a short break between stops in her North American tour. The video will be directed by Dave Meyers and will have its premiere on MTV on June 28, with the single hitting airwaves the next day.

It's unknown whether the video for "Outrageous" will feature any CATWOMAN imagery or feature Spears dolled up in Halle Berry's costume. No doubt many young men will be left hanging in suspense until the video hits the music channel at the end of the month. [MTV News.]

Official Web Site:

www.catwoman.com