Megan Fox as Catwoman Follows Tradition of Boring ‘Batman’ Heroines

Watching Rachel Dawes bop about in both Christopher Nolan-helmed Batman flicks, it dawned on me that despite the man's filmmaking gifts, Nolan's completely clueless when it comes to piecing together female characters with more than a single dimension. They just seem like an afterthought, dreamed up in post-production or something. Which is why when Katie Holmes assumed this role, it came off as nothing more than a cut-and-paste stock girlfriend. Even Hayden Panettiere could've done what Holmes did under Nolan's guidance. And when Maggie Gyllenhaal was brought on, it seemed like she was simply trying her best with the material. But it was material curiously lacking in at least a fraction of the angst that made performances by Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, and Heath Ledger so riveting. Odd that, because her character was so closely linked to two of those three men. Instead, her performance came off as a facsimile of Holmes' -- devoid of all moxie and disturbingly tepid. But Nolan's low expectations for his leading ladies should make Megan Fox's heart skip its first-in-forever beat. She's been tapped as Catwoman in part three of the Caped Crusader's hijinks.

Nine other women more qualified for the job of pounding Gotham City pavement in high heels while alternating between witty deadpan and maniacal laughter: Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Rinko Kikuchi, Parker Posey, Famke Janssen, Evan Rachel Wood, Eliza Dushku, Penelope Cruz, and naturally, Michelle Forbes. But alas, these ladies tend to have a certain spark that could make the blandest material sizzle.

And it’s there that maybe casting Fox is a smart idea for (ageist?) producers who are looking to cast a Batman foil that won’t upstage Christian Bale but will still keep horny comic book geeks at attention. Because need we forget, horrible, horrible things happen when Bale doesn’t get things his way.