After plenty of delays and a long period of few updates, Christmas came early for DC fans this week with some major news about The Batman Part II. It was reported that Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jurassic World Rebirth star Scarlett Johansson is in talks to join the cast of the eagerly anticipated sequel to Matt Reeves 2022 The Batman, but while fans were thrilled at the biggest and most exciting update on the long-gestating project to date, it’s news that might just be a little bittersweet as it seems that one of the best parts of the first film won’t be coming back for the sequel.
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According to Variety, Zoe Kravitz is not expected to return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman for The Batman Part II. The report cites sources with knowledge of the film’s production but doesn’t offer any additional clarification. Additionally, the report confirms that details of Johansson’s potential role in the Robert Pattinson starring film are being kept secret at this time. It’s been rumored that she might be taking on a role as a potential love interest turned adversary for Batman in the film.
Catwoman Not Returning Shouldn’t Necessarily Be a Surprise
Losing Kravitz’s Selina Kylke/Catwoman for The Batman Part II is disappointing, largely because the character was one of, if not the actual best part of the film but it also shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The end of The Batman saw Selina — who had learned that crime boss Carmine Falcone was her father — decide that Gotham is beyond saving and chooses to leave town. While the film gives Selina an origin story as Catwoman and sets her off on a journey to explore her own path, the film also completes that origin. Bringing Selina back so quickly (albeit several years after the first film in terms of when The Batman Part II will actually hit theaters) doesn’t allow for Selina to truly become Catwoman after going off on her own to explore her own power.
It also isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Batman play off of someone else inhabiting a similar role as Selina in the second film. Reports are already suggesting that Johansson might be playing a character that starts out as a love interest but ends up being an antagonist for Batman. That description has many fans thinking she might be portraying Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm. If that is the case, it could open the door for, should there be a third The Batman film, a more established Selina return and engage with a more established Batman, resulting in a similar romantic/antagonist dynamic that mirrors what fans of the comics have enjoyed with the characters for decades. As it stands now, where The Batman left both Selina and Batman, both characters still had a lot of growing and developing to do.
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