“Batman Returns” screenwriter Daniel Waters unveiled insights into Tim Burton’s proposed Catwoman spinoff, sharing that it would have been an $18 million black-and-white film, drawing inspiration from the 1942 horror classic “Cat People.”
Waters highlighted a creative discord with Burton, noting Burton’s inclination towards an intimate drama while describing his vision—Selina Kyle moving to a Gothamized Los Angeles, confronting three corrupt superheroes—as a satirical twist on the superhero genre.
The revelation came during a Los Angeles screening of “Returns” on December 22, providing fans with a glimpse into the unique and divergent ideas for the potential Catwoman standalone film.
“He wanted to do an $18 million black and white movie, like the original ‘Cat People,’ of Selina just lowkey living in a small town,” Waters said.
“And I wanted to make a ‘Batman’ movie where the metaphor was about ‘Batman.’ So I had her move to a Los Angeles version of Gotham City, and it’s run by three asshole superheroes. It was ‘The Boys’ before ‘The Boys.’ But he got exhausted reading my script.”
Keeping the Catwoman movie aside, even the original “Batman Returns” draft contained several digs at the Burton “Batman” film of 1989, which wasn’t really considered a good title back then.
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