Catwoman (film)

Lore & Background

The film's plot centers on Patience Phillips, a meek graphic designer, who discovers a conspiracy within the cosmetics company she works for that involves a dangerous product that could cause widespread health problems. After being discovered and murdered by the conspirators, Patience is revived by an Egyptian Mau cat that grants her cat-like metahuman abilities, allowing her to become the crime-fighting superheroine Catwoman. Produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Denise Di Novi's Di Novi Pictures, Catwoman was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 23, 2004.

Reader's Guide

Catwoman is significant as a notorious example of a critically and commercially failed superhero film. It received seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations, winning Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actress (Berry), and Worst Screenplay. Despite its poor reception, the film has developed a cult following as a 'so-bad-it's-good' film. The film's production was troubled, with writer John Rogers claiming he was fired during filming due to arguments with producers, and reshoots occurring as late as June 2004. The film was originally slated for an IMAX release, which was canceled due to delays. The Catwoman character in the film is not Selina Kyle but an original character named Patience Phillips, due to what screenwriter John Rogers called 'an insane rights issue.'

Did You Know?

• The film was originally slated for a simultaneous IMAX release, but it was canceled on June 30, 2004, due to delays.
• Most of the cats cast in the film came from animal shelters throughout California.
• A photograph of Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle in Batman Returns appears among various photographs that Ophelia uses to explain the history of former Catwomen.
• Writer John Rogers claimed he was fired during filming due to arguments with the producers, saying 'nobody in power knew what movie they wanted.'

The Transformation of Patience Phillips

At the heart of the film is Patience Phillips, a quiet graphic designer at Hedare Beauty, a cosmetics company on the verge of launching Beau-line, a skin cream promising to reverse aging. While delivering a revised ad design to the R&D lab, she overhears scientist Dr. Ivan Slavicky and Laurel Hedare, wife of company owner George, discussing the product's lethal side effects. Laurel's guards discover her and attempt to kill her by flushing a conduit pipe with water. Washed ashore and left for dead, Patience is revived by Midnight, an Egyptian Mau cat. From Midnight's owner, eccentric researcher Ophelia Powers, she learns these cats are messengers of the goddess Bast. Patience emerges with cat-like metahuman abilities, shedding her former people-pleasing nature. She becomes Catwoman, a vigilante investigating her own supposed death and Slavicky's murder. The conspiracy ultimately traces to Laurel, who killed George and framed Patience. In the climactic fight, Laurel's face rapidly disintegrates from Beau-line's effects, and she falls to her death. Cleared of all charges, Patience ends her relationship with detective Tom Lone, choosing to live freely as Catwoman outside the law.

A Decade in Development Hell

The Catwoman project traces its origins to 1993, when Warner Bros. announced a spin-off alongside Batman Forever's development. Michelle Pfeiffer was set to reprise her Batman Returns role, Tim Burton was attached to direct, and writer Daniel Waters submitted his script on the very day Batman Forever opened in theaters in June 1995. Waters wryly noted the tone was decidedly not a family-friendly affair. Pfeiffer voiced interest but cited motherhood and competing commitments as obstacles. The project then stalled for years, with Ashley Judd attached as lead in 2001 before dropping out, and Nicole Kidman subsequently considered. The film's fate shifted when Warner Bros. canceled a planned Batman vs. Superman picture slated for 2004, prompting the studio to greenlight Catwoman as a replacement vehicle. Halle Berry was cast in the title role, and the project finally moved forward under director Pitof, with a screenplay by John Rogers, John Brancato, and Michael Ferris, built from a story by Theresa Rebeck, Brancato, and Ferris.

Box-Office Failure and Razzie Infamy

Released by Warner Bros. on July 23, 2004, Catwoman became one of the most commercially and critically disappointing superhero films of its era. Against a production budget of one hundred million dollars, the picture grossed only eighty-two and a half million worldwide, marking it as a significant box-office failure. Critics and audiences delivered uniformly harsh verdicts, with many ranking it among the worst films ever produced. The film's misfortune was cemented at the Golden Raspberry Awards, where it collected seven nominations and took home four trophies: Worst Picture, Worst Director for Pitof, Worst Actress for Halle Berry, and Worst Screenplay. Despite this overwhelmingly negative reception, Catwoman has since cultivated a devoted cult following. Fans embrace it as a quintessential so-bad-it's-good experience, celebrating its over-the-top visuals, earnest performances, and unapologetic commitment to its bizarre premise. This dual legacy, simultaneously a critical disaster and a beloved oddity, has kept the film in popular cultural conversation long after its theatrical run.

The Supporting Cast and Franchise Echoes

Beyond Halle Berry's Patience Phillips, the film assembles an ensemble that drives its conspiracy narrative. Benjamin Bratt plays detective Tom Lone, Patience's love interest who initially takes Catwoman into custody before developing doubts about her guilt. Sharon Stone portrays Laurel Hedare, the scheming wife of company owner George Hedare, played by Lambert Wilson, whose ambition to push Beau-line onto the market leads to multiple murders. Frances Conroy plays Ophelia Powers, the eccentric researcher who owns Midnight the Egyptian Mau and explains the mystical connection between the cat breed and the goddess Bast. Smaller roles include Berend McKenzie as Lance, Ona Grauer as Sandy, and Landy Cannon as Randy. A notable Easter egg appears in Ophelia's explanation of Catwoman's history, where a photograph of Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle from Batman Returns is visible among her reference materials, visually linking this film to the earlier Burton-era Batman franchise and its original Catwoman.

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