Ever since the DC Animated Original Movies line launched in 2007, it’s provided plenty of direct-to-video Batman adventures, most recently with the two-part adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween. Catwoman, who’s been part of the Batman mythos since 1940’s Batman #1 (the same issue The Joker debuted in) has shown up in many of these direct-to-video movies, usually as a supporting protagonist rather than a villain. Now it’s been announced that Catwoman is finally getting her own animated movie, and its lineup of actors includes notable folks from The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul.
An anime-style flick called Catwoman: Hunted is being lined up for an early 2022 release, and will star Dynasty actress Elizabeth Gillies as Selina Kyle. The story follows Selina attempting to steal a priceless jewel that subsequently sees her being targeted by a swarm of DC supervillains, Interpol and even Batwoman, voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz. Among the lineup of baddies is Black Mask, voiced by Better Call Saul’s Jonathan Banks, while Julia Pennyworth, voiced by The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan, will undoubtedly be part of the Interpol team hunting down Catwoman.
As reported by THR, Catwoman: Hunted’s cast also includes Steven Blum as Solomon Grundy, Keith David as Tobias Whale, Zehra Fazal as Talia al Ghul and Nosferata, Jonathan Frakes as King Faraday and Boss Moxie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, Kelly Hu as Cheshire, Andrew Kishino as Mr. Yakuza and Domino 6, Eric Lopez as Domino 1, Jacqueline Obradors as La Dama, and Ron Yuan as Doctor Tzin. Shinsuke Terasawa is directed Hunted off a script written by Young Justice’s Greg Weisman. The movie will arrive over a decade after Eliza Dushku’s version of Catwoman from Batman: Year One was spotlighted in her own DC Showcase short.
Elizabeth Gillies turn as Catwoman follows after the late Naya Rivera voiced the character in the Batman: The Long Halloween animated movies. While a specific release date hasn’t been set for Catwoman: Hunted yet, it sounds like it’ll come out around the same time as Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which will see Zoë Kravitz playing Selina Kyle opposite Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. In Hunted’s case though, while it won’t be entirely lacking in Bat-heroes, Batman won’t be showing up at all, unless there will be a surprise cameo.
Catwoman has come a long way over the last eight decades, going from a traditional supervillain to more frequently being depicted as an anti-hero/ally to the Bat-Family. Selina and Bruce Wayne are even all but officially married in the main DC Comics continuity. So with such increased prominence, it’s fitting that Catwoman finally get her own animated movie to shine in. Whether that will eventually happen in live-action is unclear, though at the very least such a project should be greenlit to help drive the critically-dreaded Halle Berry-led Catwoman movie to further obscurity.
Before Catwoman: Hunted is released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, DC animated movie fans can look forward to the Injustice adaptation coming out later this year, with that movie’s cast including This is Us’ Justin Hartley as Superman and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Anson Mount as Batman. And as always, keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on upcoming live-action DC Comics movies.
