Madonna Regrets Turning Down One Of The Biggest Comic Book Roles In History
Madonna was offered the role of Catwoman in Tim Burton's Batman Returns.
Tim Burton’s 1992 classic film Batman Returns would have looked very different with Madonna as Catwoman instead of Michelle Pfeiffer, but that was almost the case. According to a recent tweet from Only Film Media, Madonna regrets turning down the role of Catwoman and stated that the character was “pretty fierce.”
It wouldn’t be that shocking if Madonna had been cast as Catwoman since the pop star was still at the height of her career in the 1990s. At that point, Madonna had already begun dabbling in acting, starring in films like Desperately Seeking Susan, Shanghai Surprise, and Who’s That Girl.
In 1992, Madonna landed the role of “All the Way” Mae Mordabito in A League of Their Own, starring alongside Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Rosie O’Donnell. Since this film came out in the same year as Batman Returns, we can only assume that Madonna turned down the role of Catwoman to play the center fielder. While both films were very successful in their own rights, Batman Returns grossed almost double the amount earned by A League of Their Own.
Throughout her career, Madonna has acted in 27 films, including The Next Best Thing, Evita, and the classic James Bond film Die Another Day. Most recently, she wrote and produced the 2021 documentary Madame X, which chronicled her tour through Portugal just before the pandemic.
The multi-talented pop singer had plans to create a biopic about her life, but the film will need to wait as the 64-year-old heads out on the Madonna Celebration Tour this fall. She hopes to tell her story one day, but for now, the movie is on hold.
While Michelle Pfeiffer stands out as the most iconic Catwoman to many fans, quite a few other actresses have dawned the tight black suit and cat ears over the years. Julie Newmar, who has a resemblance to Madonna, played the very first Catwoman in the 1960s.
More recently, Halle Berry played the lead role in the 2004 Catwoman film that essentially just used the name but was otherwise unrecognizable as the famous Batman villain/ally. Anne Hathaway played the sexy antiheroine in Christopher Nolan’s 2012 The Dark Knight Rises alongside Christian Bale and Tom Hardy. In 2022, Zoë Kravitz played the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Batman alongside Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne.
If Madonna was offered the role of Catwoman today, no one would be surprised if she were to take it. The actress has been clinging to her youth for decades, getting excessive amounts of plastic surgery and sharing videos with odd behavior that has fans worrying about her well-being. It seems like Madonna has difficulty not being in the spotlight or allowing her real age to show.
The Queen of Pop could learn a lesson or two from her almost co-star Michael Keaton. At the age of 71, the long-time actor is aging gracefully while retaining his sense of humor and charm. The former Batman star is even set to reprise his role in this summer’s The Flash, and he’s doing it in a way that doesn’t seem desperate, or like he’s only doing it for the attention.
