There have been plenty of actresses to play Catwoman over the decades, but one of the best in my eyes was Michelle Pfeiffer in BATMAN RETURNS. As the ending of the Tim Burton film left the possibility open for Catwoman's return, Warner Bros. soon moved forward on a spin-off which would find Michelle Pfeiffer reprising the role. Burton was attached to direct with BATMAN RETURNS co-writer Daniel Waters penning the script, but by the time the screenplay was turned in, BATMAN FOREVER had been released to theaters and had turned the franchise towards a more campy direction. Needless to say, the project plunged into the murky depths of development hell.
Over the past few days, Twitter users have been sharing their own stories of professional rejections with the hashtag #ShareYourRejections, and screenwriter John August (BIG FISH) shared an interesting story of the time he pitched Warner Bros. his own take for a new Catwoman film.
Catwoman at Warners in 1998. Sequel with Michelle Pfeiffer returning. Producer excited. After pitch, exec insisted it needed to be Sarah Michelle Gellar and involve hair-washing scene, then showed me Matrix trailer. #ShareYourRejections
— John August (@johnaugust) August 16, 2018
UPDATE: I found my old pitch and I actually still love it. Dated January 13, 1999. Also, I used to be a double-spacer. pic.twitter.com/mMngeQ2XCt
— John August (@johnaugust) August 16, 2018
A few more paragraphs. #catwoman #shareyourejections pic.twitter.com/Q0gG8CjfMX
— John August (@johnaugust) August 16, 2018
Last chunk for now. This would be about page 10 of the script, had I written it. #catwoman #ShareYourRejections pic.twitter.com/Nfq0Czj8Go
— John August (@johnaugust) August 16, 2018
One more bite. Keep in mind, these were just my own notes for the pitch, thus the many typos (incl “Selena”). These would and should *never* be left behind. #catwoman #ShareYouRejections pic.twitter.com/rCHziIteOK
— John August (@johnaugust) August 17, 2018
It's certainly an interesting beginning, and it would have been great to have seen it developed more, particularly knowing that Michelle Pfeiffer would have been returning. Warner Bros. clearly had their own ideas on where the Catwoman project should go, which apparently involved Sarah Michelle Gellar washing her hair. Alright. The Catwoman project went through several more iterations over the years before it finally hit theaters in the form of 2004's CATWOMAN with Halle Berry in the title role. Time to empty that litter box.
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