As the latest live-action Catwoman, Zoë Kravitz is up against some pretty high expectations. But the actress, who appears as the formidable feline in Matt Reeves’ forthcoming The Batman, prepared for her role by going straight to the source: Studying footage of cats and lions fighting, and replicating their movements.
Alongside stunt coordinator Rob Alonzo, Kravitz pored over nature footage in order to nail Catwoman’s distinct movements. “We watched cats and lions and how they fight, and talked about what is actually possible when you’re my size,” Kravitz told Empire. “Batman’s so much stronger than me. What is my skill? It’s being fast and tricky. So we did some really interesting floor work that incorporated different kinds of martial arts and capoeira and a kind of feline, dance-like movement.”
Opposite Robert Pattinson’s Batman (who was just revealed to have been inspired by none other than Kurt Cobain), we can expect to see Kravitz move gracefully and precisely as Catwoman in this Gotham origin story. “[Pattinson]’s not just trying to do a bunch of impressive backflips that wouldn’t be possible for that person to do, and he takes into account where we are in the story and where the characters are emotionally,” Kravitz said. “So it was really fun to work from that place.”
The High Fidelity star added: “It’s the beginning of her figuring out who she is, beyond just someone trying to survive. I think there’s a lot of space to grow and I think we are watching her become what I’m sure will be the femme fatale.” See Kravitz as Catwoman in the trailer for The Batman below.
The Batman also stars John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred, and Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson. After multiple production delays, the film is finally set to fly into theaters March 4th, 2022.
