Long before « Black Panther » was hailed as a watershed moment for films championing superheroes of color, there was « Catwoman » starring Halle Berry
Long before “Black Panther” was hailed as a watershed moment for films championing superheroes of color, there was “Catwoman” starring Halle Berry. So why didn’t we hear the same “black kids now have a superhero to reflect who they are” comments back then?
“Because it was a s— movie dumped by the studio at the end of a style cycle, and had zero cultural relevance either in front of or behind the camera,” tweeted John Rogers, one of the credited writers of the 2004 “Catwoman.”
As one of the credited writers of CATWOMAN, I believe I have the authority to say: because it was a s— movie dumped by the studio at the end of a style cycle, and had zero cultural relevance either in front of or behind the camera.
This is a bad take. Feel shame. https://t.co/6sth7w38Xx
– John Rogers (@jonrog1) February 24,2018
Also Read: Michelle Pfeiffer Says There Was Almost a Catwoman Movie Back in the ’90s
The Berry film was universally panned, winning Razzie Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay, which Rogers said, “ ended my career .” His only additional film writing credit was for the 2007 “Transformer” story, and he switched to TV, where he currently writes and executive produces “The Librarians.”
Rogers pointed to the “Catwoman” director, Pitof, as one of the reasons it, ultimately, coughed by a fur ball.
“Pitof had an eye for action but nobody in power knew what movie they wanted,” Rogers wrote. “At one point I said ‘You do realize the big 3rd act fight in your summer tent pole is Halle Berry dressed like a Québécois stripper beating the s–t out of a makeup exec in a pantsuit.’”
1/ Pitof had an eye for action but nobody in power knew what movie they wanted. At one point I said “You do realize the big 3rd act fight in your summer tent pole is Halle Berry dressed like a Québécois stripper beating the shit out of a makeup exec in a pantsuit.” https://t.co/kL9CF5jOno
– John Rogers (@jonrog1) February 24,2018
Also Read: Halle Berry: My Oscar Win ‘Meant Nothing’ for Diversity in Hollywood
Rogers noted, “Full disclosure: I was fired off the movie after writing the green light draft because I kept arguing with notes that’d make the movie ‘very, very bad.’ Which I said out loud. At meetings.”
Yep, that’ll do it.
Couldn’t be Selina Kyle because of an insane rights issue.
Full disclosure: I was fired off the movie after writing the green light draft because I kept arguing with notes that’d make the movie “very, very bad.” Which I said out loud. At meetings.
I got fired a lot in my 30’s https://t.co/0AX0wEtDWi
– John Rogers (@jonrog1) February 24,2018
Every DC Comics Movie Ranked From Worst to Best, Including ‘Justice League’
The DC Comics universe hasn’t flooded the big screen quite the way Marvel ones have, but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the modern era. We ranked all those modern flicks, from « Superman: The Movie » to « Wonder Woman » and « Justice League. »
32. « Jonah Hex » (2010)
Despite the efforts of Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, this is one of the worst comic book movies of the modern era.
31. « Superman IV: The Quest for Peace » (1987)
Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But « Superman IV » is a bomb in every sense — partly because of its heavy-handedness about bombs. Nuclear bombs. The film finds Superman trying to eliminate the world’s nuclear threat, but his best intentions run afoul of a silly, badly dated villain named Nuclear Man.
30. « Supergirl » (1984)
We had a female-superhero movie in 1984, and it was pure cheese. But hey, at least they tried. The best thing I can say about it is there are worse things in life than this movie.
29. « Suicide Squad » (2016)
Less a movie than it is a fever dream of unrelated sequences and montages that somehow end up using more than two hours of your time. Totally incomprehensible experience.
And, no, the extended cut doesn’t do anything that warrants improving its standing .
28. « Steel » (1997)
Best known as « the one Shaq was in back when he tried acting, » « Steel » is pretty bad. But the fun kind of bad.
27. « Justice League »
Warner Bros has continued to innovate in how to make bad DCEU movies, with « Justice League » managing to be terrible in a totally different way from « Batman v Superman » and « Suicide Squad. »
26. « Man of Steel » (2013)
Could have been worse, I guess. But it’s still morally gross and has a plot that doesn’t make sense. That it’s very pretty to look at doesn’t override those things nearly enough to make it watchable.
25. « Catwoman » (2004)
Thoroughly horrible, but somehow amusing even so. Sad that it’s seemingly been swept into the litter box of history.
24. « Batman & Robin » (1997)
Rightly hated, but it’s tremendously entertaining here and there. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzeneggar are going so far over the top I can’t help but admire them.
23. « Superman III » (1983)
Featured a brilliant corporate rip-off — one later referenced in « Office Space » — but the attempt to funny things up with the addition of Richard Pryor didn’t gel. There was also a weird bit about a weather satellite creating bad weather, which isn’t what weather satellites do. Seeing Clark Kent fight Superman was pretty cool, though.
22. « Green Lantern » (2011)
Overreliance on cartoony visual effects during a period when big blockbusters were moving away from that aesthetic meant this was a movie nobody liked. Not that it was especially horrible. It just looked like a dumb cartoon and is hard to watch.
21. « The Dark Knight Rises » (2012)
Probably wasn’t intended to be a grim and gritty Shumacher Batmovie, but that is indeed what it is. This is Nolan going full Hollywood, smashing plot points into place by sheer force of will rather than because they make sense. An extremely theatrical Tom Hardy as Bane is amusing front to back, and a nuke with a countdown clock on it will never get old.
20. « Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice » (2016)
A total mess that hates Superman and turns Batman into a total maniac. None of those things are good. Ben Affleck can’t save the thing, but he’s excellent nonetheless and gives it a huge bump it probably doesn’t deserve.
19. « Watchmen » (2009)
I have no particular affection for the revered « Watchmen » comic the way a lot of other nerds do, so my distaste for this adaptation isn’t personal. It just doesn’t add up to nearly as much as it thinks it does.
18. « Batman » (1989)
Fondly remembered mostly because it was the first Batmovie in a couple decades. It isn’t actually very good, though. The reveal that a younger version of the Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents is as hamfistedly dumb as it gets in a « Batman » movie.
17. « V for Vendetta » (2006)
Felt nothing watching this. I tried, OK. It’s impeccably made, though, and very watchable.
16. « The Losers » (2010)
Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Zoe Saldana. How was this movie not amazing?
15. « Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition » (2016)
Giving this its own slot because it fundamentally changes the narrative of the movie and the character of Superman in the DC Extended Universe. This version is still not great (especially at three freaking hours), but it’s a monumental improvement over the theatrical version.
14. « Red 2 » (2013)
Did you even know these were comic book movies? Whatever, it’s a great cast in a serviceable action movie and everybody’s having a good time. Hard to remember, but fun.
13. « Red » (2010)
Better than its sequel, but they’re basically the same.
12. « The Dark Knight » (2008)
Should be way shorter, but Heath Ledger ‘s Joker is far and away the best villain in any of these movies.
