Naya Rivera to voice Catwoman in Batman animation completed before her death

Naya Rivera will star as Catwoman in an upcoming Batman animation which she completed before her death last year. 

The Glee actress died in July 2020 aged 33 after accidentally drowning during a boating trip with her son Josey. 

It has now been revealed that Naya recorded her voice part as Catwoman aka Selina Kyle in Batman: The Halloween, Part One, an adaption of the comic. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, she will be joined by Supernatural star Jensen Ackles who will voice the role of Batman aka Bruce Wayne. Jensen is already accustomed to the world of Gotham after previously voicing Jason Todd aka Red Hood in 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood. 

The cast will also star Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian as Calendar Man, Troy Baker as Joker, Amy Landecker as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan as Alfred. 

Chris Palmer, best known for Superman: Man of Tomorrow, will direct the animation. 

The Long Halloween comic ran for 13 issues from 1996-97. 

It followed Batman early in his career at a time when Gotham was plagued by a killer, known as Holiday, who struck once a month. 

Fans of the Caped Crusader are no doubt anticipating the project as it heavily featured Harvey Dent aka Two-Face and went on to inspire Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. Even more intriguing is it’s reported influence on Matt Reeves’ upcoming blockbuster The Batman starring Robert Pattinson in the titular role. 

Naya’s last acting role before her death was in the TV series Step Up: High Water, in which she played Collette Jones alongside Ne-Yo.

She was replaced by Christina Milian following her death but the news was met with a critical response from fans, who felt it was ‘disrespectful’ and that Naya ‘couldn’t be replaced’. 

The actress will be remembered by her former Glee co-stars at the GLAAD Media Awards next month, to honour her character Santana Lopez’s legacy. 

The Long Halloween will be a two-part project and the first installment is expected to air this summer. 

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