Anne Hathaway: Sexy enough to play Catwoman?

Director Christopher Nolan has announced that Anne Hathaway, the toothsome star of The Devil Wears Prada and Rachel Getting Married will play Selina Kyle — a.k.a Catwoman — in The Dark Knight Rises, the latest instalment in the Batman series. The actress will follow in the adroit, flirty footsteps of former Catwomen Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eartha Kitt, but some commentators aren't convinced that she's sufficiently "predatory" to fill the iconic catsuit:

Hathaway is no femme fatale: Am I the only one who has trouble thinking of this "wide-eyed, sweet-faced girl" as a "fetishy feline fatale"? asks Linda Sharps at The Stir. Frankly, "I can think of about 50 actresses" better suited to the role than Hathaway. Who knows, "perhaps she'll surprise us all." But I doubt it.

"Can you picture Anne Hathaway as Catwoman?"

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But she's a fine actress: Not everyone is purring with approval, says Megan Gibson at Time, and the role isn't easy; "fans are still trying to recover" from the "disastrous" Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry portrayals of "the mousy-turned-catty heroine." But "no one can deny that Hathaway is a talented actress." Even when her movies flop, "her acting is still usually... praised by critics." So this pick is "good enough for us."

"Anne Hathaway is Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises: Brilliant or boneheaded?"

Trust Nolan to get it right: If you're concerned that Hathaway doesn't have the "predatory sexuality" of classic Catwomen, says Laura Prudom at Moviefone, consider "Nolan's last controversial casting choice" — getting "pretty-boy" Heath Ledger to play the Joker. That didn't work out so badly, did it? If Nolan thinks Hathaway can pull it off, "we trust him to deliver the goods."

"Casting Catwoman: How will Anne Hathaway compare to Pfeiffer and Berry?"