Even after 27 years, actress Sean Young (Blade Runner, Wall Street) has not given up on playing Catwoman. Originally cast in the role of Vicki Vale in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, she was replaced by Kim Basinger after she broke her arm. Then for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, she dressed up as the feline thief and attempted to ambush Burton on the Warner Bros. lot. Obviously, the role went to Michelle Pfeiffer, but Young hasn’t given up hope just yet.
In an in-depth interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sean Young addressed her brief time on the Batman set and made a case for why Warner Bros. should consider her for their new line of DC films:
If these Warner Bros. executives now were really good businessmen, they’d let me play Catwoman today, and I’d make a smash amount of money. But they’re too stupid. You can lead people to water, but you can’t make them great artists. Nobody wants to take that risk, it’s too scary. If they’re wrong, it can cost them their job. If there were really good businessmen over there, it’d be an obvious no brainer, but I’m not running the studio.
She certainly doesn’t beat around the bush and it’s pretty refreshing. Sean Young does make a lot of points on why Warner executives wouldn’t want to cast an older woman for the role. It’s no secret that the older you get in Hollywood, the harder it is to get roles, especially if you’re a woman. Not to mention that no one seems to mind the idea of an older Batman, so why is Catwoman so different? I’m curious why executives picking her for the role would be a "no-brainer," but the Wallstreet actress doesn’t really go into more detail on the subject (you have to admire her confidence though).
I think the big question here is do we want to see an older Catwoman. It’d be a brave choice and it goes against what is typically associated with the character (which isn’t always a bad thing). It’s relevant to note that The Dark Knight Rises – the comic book that Ben Affleck’s Batman draws most of its inspiration from – does briefly feature an elderly Selina Kyle. There would be plenty of actresses who’d be great in this role, but it’s easy to understand Warner Bros. hesitation. Internet culture being what it is, they probably wouldn’t expect a positive reaction. If fans react negatively to someone like Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman, then you can imagine what the comments section would look like over an older Catwoman.
Sean Young next be seen in the horror film, Darling, which hits theaters this Friday.
