Credit: Inside the MagicA brand-new Batman reboot titled Batman: Caped Crusader (2024) is in development for Prime Video, and one of its newly announced cast members might surprise you.
The upcoming animated series is set to reimagine the Dark Knight, Gotham City, and all its denizens — heroes and villains included — in a noir-inspired 1940s setting unburdened by the modern/futuristic technology we’re so used to seeing Batman and his foes wield.
Bruce Wayne/Batman himself will be voiced by Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass), while other cast members include Diedrich Bader (Napoleon Dynamite) and Jamie Chung (Big Hero 6), who will voice Harvey Dent/Two-Face and Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn.
Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained
Several other cast members including McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) and Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) have been revealed in a teaser for the Batman reboot shared on X (Twitter) by Prime Video last week. However, their roles remain undisclosed:
Check it out below, per Prime Video on X:
“The names behind the heroes and villains of Batman: Caped Crusader, premiering August 1”
The names behind the heroes and villains of Batman: Caped Crusader, premiering August 1 pic.twitter.com/pJ5ta1o7nI
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) June 20, 2024
Related: Michael Keaton’s New ‘Batman’ (1989) Series Explained
But one newly announced cast member might surprise you. Among the new cast for Batman: Caped Crusader is Christina Ricci, who’s best known these days for starring in the two hit television shows Yellowjackets (2021 — present) and Wednesday (2022 — present).
Back in the ’90s, however, she made a name for herself by portraying Wednesday Addams in two of The Addams Family movies (she now plays a supporting character in the current Netflix series opposite Jenna Ortega‘s portrayal of the morbid pigtail-wearing teen).
The Hollywood icon has also appeared in other cult classics such as Casper (1995) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). Now, she’s set to take a break from the supernatural and play Gotham City’s femme fatale/anti-hero Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman in the new animated series.
Related: Upcoming ‘Batman’ (1989) Sequel: Every Returning Character Explained
In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, which reveals the entire cast for Batman: Caped Crusader, creator Bruce Timm (who also created the cult classic ’90s animated series Batman: The Animated Series) said of the decision to cast Ricci as the iconic character, “She is so versatile. I mean, she can go dark, serious, and adult.”
“She can also go youthful and wacky,” he added. “We wanted [Selina Kyle] to be not too dark and serious, as most Catwomans have been for the last 20 years or so. We wanted her to be, not ditzy, but just not serious.”
Character designer James Tucker describes Catwoman’s relationship with Batman in Caped Crusader as “chemical,” saying,” I wouldn’t call what they have romantic, per se. It’s more chemical. There’s pheromones involved.”
Vanity Fair also shared screenshots from the animated Batman reboot, which include Ricci’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman:
“There’s a new Batman, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn in town—meet the voices of the new retro-noir series ‘Batman: Caped Crusader.’ Take an exclusive look at the series: vntyfr.com/PJM1fvM“
There’s a new Batman, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn in town—meet the voices of the new retro-noir series ‘Batman: Caped Crusader.’
Take an exclusive look at the series: https://t.co/44J712eqdw pic.twitter.com/hZIorijxDr
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 20, 2024
You might be surprised to learn that Catwoman isn’t the only Batman character Ricci has played — last year, she voiced “Clown Princess of Gotham” Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn in the DC audio drama series Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind (2023).
Interestingly, Ricci was considered for the role of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997), but the then-equally-famous Alicia Silverstone got the part. However, the film quickly became the most reviled entry in the entire franchise.
Recently, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega actually became Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in a fan-made trailer.
So, Ricci may not have worn the Batgirl outfit in the end, but she’s now set to don the black leotard and cat-ears, and we just can’t wait to “hear her roar” in the upcoming animated series.
Batman: Caped Crusader has 10 episodes and will be available to stream on Prime Video from August 1.
What do you think about Christina Ricci playing the new Selina Kyle/Catwoman? Would you like to see her show up in a live-action Batman reboot? We think it’s “purr”-fect casting, but let Inside the Magic know what you think in the comments down below!