Actress Michelle Pfeiffer demonstrates her Catwoman whip skills 27 years after starring in Batman Returns. In the Oscar-nominated franchise film, Pfeiffer portrays Selina Kyle aka. Catwoman.
Directed by Tim Burton, Batman Returns stars Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader, Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin, and Christopher Walken as Max Schreck. Keaton reprised his role from Warner Bros’ original 1989 Batman film, and Annette Benning was originally cast as Catwoman, only to be replaced by Pfeiffer, due to a pregnancy. For the femme fatale role, Pfeiffer reportedly trained extensively, and the work paid off, as she received an MTV Movie Award nomination for Most Desirable Female. Batman Returns was produced for $80 million, and ultimately earned over $266 million at the box office. At the time of release, the film earned favorable reviews from critics, but Warner Bros. decided to lighten the franchise tone with the 1995 installment Batman Forever starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jim Carrey. Pfeiffer was nearly set for a standalone Catwoman spin-off, but decided to choose other roles.
On Instagram, Pfeiffer posted a mostly silent video, in which she holds a whip and awaits an off-screen object. Wearing all black, including black sunglasses, Pfeiffer then cracks a whip and returns to her original pose. The clip is set outdoors, with the actress surrounded by natural green and blue. Only a brief hint of atmospheric noise can be heard, at least until Pfeiffer ultimately cracks the whip and provides fans with a touch of nostalgia. After starring as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Batman Returns, Pfeiffer never reprised her character. In 2004, Warner Bros. released Catwoman starring Halle Berry, and the film won four Golden Raspberry Awards (for the worst in film), including Worst Actress and Worst Picture. French visual artist Pitof directed the box office flop. Check out Pfeiffer’s Instagram post below.
Prior to starring in Batman Returns, Pfeiffer was already a celebrated American actress. She starred opposite Al Pacino in the 1983 classic Scarface, this coming after a breakout role in Grease 2. By 1988, Pfeiffer became a legitimate A-list star, as she earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in Married to the Mob, along with an Academy Award nomination for portraying Madame Marie de Tourvel in Dangerous Liaisons. In recent years, Pfeiffer has reached a new phase of career by portraying Janet Van Dyne in both Ant-Man and the Wasp and the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. Next, she’ll star as Queen Ingrith in Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Nearly three decades after her iconic Catwoman performance, Michelle Pfeiffer appears ready to make more action films. It also seems that she’s becoming an even bigger Hollywood star thanks to her MCU role, which will surely inspire even more opportunities moving forward.
More: Batman: Why Michelle Pfeiffer Is The Best Catwoman
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