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Catwoman: Hunted’s Elizabeth Gillies Explains Which Version Of Selina Kyle Inspired Her Performance In The DC Movie

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Catwoman: Hunted’s Elizabeth Gillies Explains Which Version Of Selina Kyle Inspired Her Performance In The DC Movie

2022 is set to be a big year for Catwoman, and not just because Zoë Kravitz is playing the character in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Selina Kyle will also be leading her own animated movie for the first time, with Dynasty’s Elizabeth Gillies voicing the longtime Batman rogue in the anime-style Catwoman: Hunted. When it came time for Gillies to craft her version of Catwoman, there was one prior depiction that influenced her the most: Michelle Pfeiffer’s from 1992’s Batman Returns.

Having recently had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth Gillies about Catwoman: Hunted ahead of its upcoming release, I kicked off the interview by asking about what drew her to the animated DC movie. The actress wasted no time declaring her love for Catwoman in general, but particularly the one Michelle Pfeiffer brought to life three decades ago, saying:

I have always been a fan of Catwoman. She’s a character I’ve always wanted to play. I was always drawn to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman. So I was very excited, not only to play her, but also to be part of the DC universe. And I love animation and voiceovers, so really across the board, it really caught my interest and I was very thankful that they asked me to do it.

With the combination of her Catwoman enthusiasm and her fondness for voiceover work (her credits in that area including Winx Club, The Penguins of Madagascar and American Dad!), it’s no wonder why the actress found Catwoman: Hunted to be such an appealing project. Gillies joins a long lineup of actresses who’ve voiced Catwoman over the years, like Jennifer Morrison in Batman: Hush, the late Naya Rivera in Batman: The Long Halloween and Anika Noni Rose in Injustice. Gillies’ Catwoman, however, gets to stand out among the rest by leading her own animated movie, exemplifying how popular this character has become beyond simply being an enemy/ally to Batman, depending on the story being told.

After Elizabeth Gillies brought up Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, who antagonized Michael Keaton’s Batman alongside Danny DeVito’s Penguin in Tim Burton’s second Batman movie, I asked if she specifically drew any inspiration from this version of the character or looked to any other Catwoman incarnations when crafting her take on Selina Kyle for Catwoman: Hunted. She responded:

No, I absolutely drew my inspiration from [Michelle Pfeiffer]. I brought my own flavor to it, but she was my starting point and my jumping off point. I love the way she did it, and that is the version that is sort of ingrained in my brain. I did watch some other animated Catwoman things where Catwoman appeared, and I wanted to hear what people did with her voice as well. But to me, Michelle’s was sort of my favorite, so I used her as a jumping off point. I wasn’t going to try and completely reinvent the wheel because she’s such an iconic character, and I think people want to hear her a certain way, so I took a swing and tried to keep it close-ish to the original with my own spin.

Michelle Pfeiffer’s whip-wielding Catwoman was certainly one of the most praised elements of Batman Returns, to the point that there were plans for the actress to reprise the role for a spinoff. However, the project ended up languishing in development hell for years and ultimately transformed into 2004’s Catwoman, which starred Halle Berry as original character Patience Phillips and was a critical and commercial disappointment. Fortunately, this didn’t diminish the original Catwoman’s popularity, and now Elizabeth Gillies is getting to leave her stamp on the character in Catwoman: Hunted.

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The animated movie follows Selina Kyle attempting to steal a priceless jewel, only to find herself being targeted by both a powerful criminal organization and Interpol. Elizabeth Gillies’ costars include Stephanie Beatriz as Batwoman, Jonathan Banks as Black Mask, Lauren Cohan as Julia Pennyworth, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, Jonathan Frakes as King Faraday and Keith David as Tobias Whale. Shinsuke Terasawa directed Hunted off a script written by Young Justice co-showrunner Greg Weisman.

Catwoman: Hunted will be released on February 8, 2022. Meanwhile, our upcoming DC movies guide is available for those curious about what live-action offerings this corner of the superhero film market has coming up.

Interviews

Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

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Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

It may not feel like it sometimes, but any upcoming movie has the chance to be named “the greatest movie ever made” by someone out there. However, that honor does have some specific caveats if you’re someone like filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Not only has the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director chosen a Steven Spielberg classic for that very distinction, Tarantino also explained just why that title is very specific. 

In an upcoming interview with our in-house podcast ReelBlend, Quentin Tarantino made his fourth appearance to talk about all things movies; the first since the big live show at the New Beverly Cinema. Promoting his new co-hosting gig on The Video Archives Podcast, Tarantino had yet another spirited discussion about cinema, which led to his pick of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws as  the greatest “movie” ever made. That distinction is important, as the Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood director made that perfectly clear through the following remarks: 

I think Jaws is the greatest movie ever made. Maybe not the greatest film. But it’s the greatest movie ever made. And then there are other movies that can get in its rarefied air. But as far as a movie, there’s no making it better than Jaws. There’s no ‘better’ than Jaws. It is the best movie ever made. And it shows how badly timed most movies made before Jaws were.

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to separate his tastes in movies into those two separate, important camps: “movies” and “films.” In this case, the designation of a movie almost sounds like it’s shorthand for the blockbuster opuses that Steven Spielberg made a name for himself with. Which means that “films” are presumably more of the independent/art house titles that have higher pedigrees, and usually end up on the lists of best picture nominees every year.

Strangely enough, Jaws is one of six horror movies to have Best Picture nominations, so the line could blur just a bit in that respect. Putting aside the “movies” versus “films” debate, Quentin Tarantino isn’t using that separation to be a snob. Later on in the conversation, he explained how spectacles such as this are their own form of art, and how Steven Spielberg came to be someone who perfected it: 

What I meant by that, to one degree or another, is that Spielberg and a lot of his cohorts grew up seeing those kinds of movies in the theater. Henry Levin’s Journey to Center of the Earth, he’s gonna run to go and see that. Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage. He’s going to run and go see it. Gordon Douglas’s Them! He’s going to run and go see. Now… most of them weren’t directed that well. They were assignments given to journeyman directors who did their best with them. That was how we were used to seeing comic book — that kind of movie experience. As opposed to a Spielberg, who was like, ‘No, this is exactly the kind of movie he likes. This is exactly the kind of movies he was put on earth to make. And he’s going to make it, within an inch of his life, as effective as it possibly can be. And, you know, Michael Anderson, isn’t putting that kind of work in Logan’s Run.

Spielberg, and “cohorts” like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Copolla all latched onto genres that were pulpier entertainments in their childhood, only to make them into something new. Through films like Jaws, Star Wars, Taxi Driver, and The Godfather, we saw a generation of directors taking movies they loved and reviving them through their own personal lenses. Which is exactly what Quentin Tarantino would do when he stepped onto the scene with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction; and it’s also why he’s such a staunch supporter of the cinematic experience. 

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If this conversation boils down to anything, it’s game recognizing game. Much as Steven Spielberg idolized the movies that helped make Jaws, Quentin Tarantino has reverence for the bearded director and his dedication to making the movies that sparked his love of cinema. Though considering the history his collaborator Samuel L. Jackson has had with sharks, you have to wonder if this has already sparked any sort of humorous conversations between the two?

You’ll be able to watch, and listen, to Quentin Tarantino’s latest appearance on ReelBlend, as it’s set to hit YouTube tomorrow. Meanwhile, Tarantino may not have his tenth and final film in the works just yet, but you can still enjoy the man’s gift for words in two very cool ways. 

Tarantino’s Video Archives podcast, which he co-hosts with friend and collaborator Roger Avery, is currently streaming wherever you find fine listening material. However, if you also want to read the man’s thoughts on ‘70s filmmaking in his upcoming book Cinema Speculation, which you can currently preorder on Amazon (opens in new tab); or any other fine bookseller.

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‘Prey’ Interviews With Amber Midthunder, Dan Trachtenberg And More!

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The stars of “Prey,” Amber Midthunder (“Naru”), Dakota Bevers (“Taabe”), Dane DiLiegro (“The Predator”), director Dan Trachtenberg and producer Jhane Myers discuss their new “Predator” movie in this interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. They discuss the “Prey” audition moment that landed Amber Midthunder her role and more!

You can stream “Prey” on Hulu on August 5.

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” stars Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin / On-Set Rocket), Chukwudi Iwuji (The High Evolutionary) and writer Director James Gunn discuss their upcoming Marvel film and conclusion of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy in this post-Hall H interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

Video Chapters

  • 00:00 – Chris Pratt on Finding “Your Side”
  • 00:35 – Chris Pratt Teases What’s Ahead For Star-Lord and Gamora In GOTG 3
  • 01:24 – Karen Gillan LOVES ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Fan Reactions
  • 02:00 – Karen Gillan Weighs In On Nebula Unaliving Nebula in ‘Endgame’
  • 02:32 – James Gunn Teases a “Darker” ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Movie
  • 03:20 – Sean Gunn on Baby Rocket’s Difficult Backstory
  • 04:30 –  Pom Klementieff on Welcoming New Marvel Actors to the ‘Guardians’ Family
  • 05:15 – Pom Klementieff Teases A More Badass Mantis In ‘Guardians 3’
  • 05:35 – Will Poulter Teases Adam Warlock Origins in ‘GOTG 3’ 
  • 06:32 – Chukwudi Iwuji on The High Evolutionary and His Motivations
  • 07:20 – Chukwudi Iwugi Praises James Gunn’s Dialogue
  • 08:15 – Chris Pratt Recalls His Last Day of Filming the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Trilogy
  • 08:55 – James Gunn Is Literally Always Writing and Rewriting Scripts
  • 09:49 – Will Poulter Wants to Play Adam Warlock Again “If Marvel Will Have Me”

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