EXCLUSIVE: Vanessa Kirby on those Catwoman rumours and her thoughts on Robert Pattinson as Batman

She also talks about what it feels like to beat up The Rock.

Looking back, it is clear that Michael Keaton is hugely loved as the big-screen Bruce Wayne/Batman. But when his casting was originally announced, fans of the comic book character reacted very badly, looking at the OTT guy from Beetlejuice and wondering if he wasn't more suited to The Joker role. Of course, history played out very differently, and fanboys and fangirls have a bit of a running history with overreacting to casting decisions, and sometimes getting it very wrong. Remember the anger towards Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker? Yep. And it seems like fans are at it again, annoyed that Robert Pattinson has been cast in the The Batman, due for release in June 2021, despite the fact that he is a broody, rich, handsome, fit, and has already displayed bat-like characteristics when he played a vampire in Twilight. (Ignore that last one.) When JOE sat down with Vanessa Kirby - who you might recognise from The Crown or Mission Impossible: Fallout - to chat about her role in the huge blockbuster Hobbs & Shaw, we brought up the rumours that she was being lined up play Catwoman in that movie, and that the reaction to her casting was very different to the reaction Pattinson got. "Was there [a backlash]?," Kirby asks us. "Really? I think he's amazing. He's perfect." "I didn't know [the reaction to the Catwoman rumours] was so hugely positive. That is just really touching. And obviously, just as a character, she is just the coolest ever, so that is just- I mean, I'm not nearly as cool as that!" Check out our full chat with Vanessa Kirby below, including how she felt about beating up The Rock on the big screen. JOE was also lucky enough to chat to more of the movie's stars, Jason Statham and Idris Elba, as well as the movie's writer Chris Morgan (who has written every Fast & Furious movie since Tokyo Drift), and director David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) and you can catch all those on The Big Reviewski in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Hobbs & Shaw screeches into Irish cinemas on Thursday 1 August. Clip via Universal Pictures Ireland