Yes, the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns. Annette Bening had already accepted the job back in the early ‘90s—but then, motherhood showed up uninvited, like an unplanned plot twist in a Batman script.
Annette Bening was all in for Selina Kyle. She got cast, fitted for a catsuit, and even went through the process of body casting—like, a full-body mold of her shape. But life, as it often does, threw a curveball. She got pregnant. Surprise pregnancy. Like an unexpected villain making a grand entrance. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bening shared how it all went down:
“You know what happened was I got pregnant – Yeah I did [laughter] – and I mean it was so surprising because I was trying to get pregnant, and I had never been pregnant, so I didn’t know how long it was going to take. It didn’t take very long [laughs]. So then I was supposed to do Batman, and I didn’t want to announce my pregnancy – because of course you never want to do that early for obvious reasons.”
So there she was, in costume fittings for a role she’d never actually play, secretly pregnant, and trying to keep everything under wraps. She went through full body casting (a procedure that’s old-school enough to make us grateful for modern filmmaking tech) before eventually having to tell Batman Returns director Tim Burton, “Hey, I’m having a baby.”
Cue the plot twist: she had to drop out of the role.
But here’s where it gets even juicier. Michelle Pfeiffer swooped in and nailed it as Catwoman. She brought the perfect blend of danger, seduction, and unpredictability that made Batman Returns a standout movie. Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle wasn’t just a villain; she was a deeply flawed, strangely sympathetic character. She stole every scene. Bening’s loss became Pfeiffer’s iconic gain.
Still, Annette Bening wasn’t completely out of the superhero game. She eventually joined the MCU as the Supreme Intelligence in Captain Marvel. Not quite Catwoman, but hey—she got to share the screen with Brie Larson, and in a Marvel movie no less.
Catwoman will likely be back on screen soon. With new Batman projects always popping up, we’ll probably see fresh takes on Catwoman with a new actress stepping up. Annette Bening might not have played the role, but her sudden exit proves how wild Hollywood careers can be—showbiz can flip your fate faster than a Batman villain’s escape plan.
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