With strong female ideals and perfect pouted lips to carry that kiss of death, Jessca Chastine would be a fantastic actress to portray the beloved villain, Poison Ivy. Warner Bros. are in the process of getting Gotham City Sirens started and it looks like the actress has been fan-casted. And amazingly, she has agreed to the idea of it!
Poison Ivy is a resourceful villain. She is part of Batman’s rogue gallery and an important piece of the Gotham City Siren’s narrative. In a recent interview, while promoting her film, The Zookeeper’s Wife, she spoke of the major factors that would help her stand out:
“I’m interested in all things where the characters are strong and dynamic, and not stereotypes or objects. I like female characters that are subjects, not objects. And so, if Poison Ivy happens to be that, sure. Throw my hat in the ring.”
The video of her interview is presented below:
That’s a wicked stance. DC’s story-telling is remarkable, but just like all superhero comics (and truthfully, everything else in the media), there have been complaints of the objectification of women. The idea of placing superheroes in attractive clothing (women and men) have been around for three-fourths of a century, so the visuals would be hard to pull away from. However, Ivy’s character could easily be made to fit Chastain’s standards. These should be mandatory for all female superhero standards. DC with Warner Bros. are the perfect choice to accomplish this! They have already done an extraordinary job with one of the most show-stealing introductions: Wonder Woman, in Batman v Superman. Already, they have broken so many unspoken disenfranchising cinema rules and every film company should look up to them for that.
From race-bending Aquaman and Wonder Woman to casting an LGTBQ actor to play the first large-scale superhero in cinema, I don’t see why it would be difficult to create a strong-headed, powerful portrayal of Ivy.
To add, DC roles are generally competitive among actors. Thus far, there have been rumours of Stephanie Corneliussen from Mr. Robot, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Megan Fox, but no official confirmation.
As a woman myself, I appreciate Chastain’s requirements. I cannot get over how amazing DC has been with representation; while other superhero industries postponed films centered around female superheroes for years, we have Warner Bros. and DC putting out one as their third installment, and already planning a movie surrounded by a group of complex female characters. Way to go!
The Zookeeper’s Wife is in theaters March 31st, 2017, while Gotham City Sirens is still undergoing development.
