Zoe Kravitz to play Catwoman

Zoe Kravitz. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LOS ANGELES •The new Catwoman has been unmasked.

American actress Zoe Kravitz, 30, will play the character in the new Batman film starring Robert Pattinson, a Warner source said on Monday.

Kravitz, who recently starred in HBO's hit television drama Big Little Lies and is the daughter of rock musician Lenny Kravitz, will portray the whip-wielding cat burglar who is both Batman's foe and love interest in the comics.

She follows A-listers such as Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Pfeiffer in portraying Catwoman - alter ego Selina Kyle - in The Batman, which is due for release in 2021.

Kravitz voiced Catwoman in 2017's The Lego Batman Movie and also appeared in Warner's Fantastic Beasts films, set in the Harry Potter universe.

The casting news follows the massive success of Joker, which provides an origin story for another notorious Batman adversary, and has broken this month's box-office records in North America.

The Batman will be directed by Matt Reeves, who was behind the last two Planet Of The Apes sequels.

Twilight star Pattinson was earlier this year announced to play Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne.

Pattinson will be replacing Ben Affleck, who retired from the role after playing Wayne in 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and 2017's Justice League.

Affleck had been due to direct a new standalone Batman film, but stepped down and was replaced by Reeves in 2017.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 16, 2019, with the headline Zoe Kravitz to play Catwoman. Subscribe