Over the years, there have been a number of “lackluster” additions to the superhero genre. Green Lantern, Ghost Rider and Howard the Duck are just a few of the features many fans aren’t too fond of. Of course, one that gets quite a bit of hate is 2004’s Catwoman, which saw Oscar winner Halle Berry play the titular role. The film has created quite an interesting legacy for itself, and it seems that Berry would actually like a chance to “redo” it. And she already knows the biggest change she would implement.
These days, the fan-favorite actress isn’t just acting in front of the camera -- she’s working behind it as well. She recently made her directorial debut with Netflix’s upcoming sports drama, Bruised, in which she also plays the lead role. With this, when the Monster’s Ball star spoke with ReelBlend podcast co-host Jake Hamilton, she was asked if she would like to revisit and remold any of her past movies as a director. And ultimately, this led her to the critically panned comic book movie:
I would love to direct Catwoman. [laughs] If I can get a hold of that now, knowing what I know, having had this experience and reimagine that world the way I reimagined this story. Bruised was written for a white, Irish Catholic like 25-year-old girl, and I got to reimagine it. I wish I could go back and reimagine Catwoman and redo that, have a redo on that.
Directed by French visual effects supervisor Pitof, Catwoman reimagined the iconic DC Comics antiheroine. The feature saw Halle Berry play the character of Patience Phillips, as opposed to Selina Kyle (who was made famous on the big screen by Michelle Pfeiffer). The movie is also notable for severing the character’s ties to Batman. When the movie hit theaters in the summer of 2004, it was met with harsh reviews from critics and fans alike. Many criticized the direction, screenplay and the performance of its lead and, in the years since, the flick has been regarded as one of the worst movies of all time.
Halle Berry isn’t immune to the critiques the movie has received over the years. During the same interview with Jake Hamilton, she was also asked what she would specifically like to change about the film. In response, Berry said that she’d love up the ante when it comes to the stakes:
I would have Catwoman saving the world, like most male superheroes do and not just saving women from their faces cracking off. You know, I would make the stakes a lot higher and I think, make it more inclusive of both men and women.
These sentiments line up perfectly with past comments made by the actress. She previously explained that she felt “the story didn’t feel quite right.” Ideally, she would’ve preferred her protagonist to fight off a bigger threat, not unlike heroes such as Batman and Superman. Most would probably agree that greater stakes could’ve helped the film tremendously.
Despite her disappointment with the film, Halle Berry still seems to have a lot of love for the character of Catwoman in general. This past June, when asked who her favorite superhero is, she named Eartha Kitt’s iteration of the feline-themed thief. She, along with Michelle Pfeiffer and Anne Hathaway also gave a warm welcome to Zoë Kravitz, who will don the sacred cat ears in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Berry also had a Halloween face-off with Saweetie, who decided to dress up as her character. Though she’ll likely won’t get to redo her own movie (which is unfortunate), there’s always a chance she could direct a new solo movie centered on Selina Kyle at some point down the road.
Catwoman is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
