Calista Flockhart Cast as Cat Grant

Cat Grant as she appears in the comics, 2012

Calista Flockhart has been cast as Kara’s boss, Cat Grant, in this fall’s Supergirl TV series.

Eek. I hated Ally McBeal the show and the character. If Flockhart is supposed to be playing someone we hate, perfect casting!

Per the original cast breaking:

CAT GRANT
The project is eyeing females in their 40s, open ethnicity, to play the founder of CatCo, a media conglomerate that Cat built from the ground up. Kara (Supergirl’s mild-mannered alter ego) will work as a personal assistant to Cat, who is described as “J.Lo by way of Anna Wintour.”

The casting press release describes Cat as a self-made media magnate who started her career as a reporter and built her company “CatCo.” into a global powerhouse. Calista Flockhart not only shares an uncanny physical resemblance to Cat Grant in the recent New 52 comics, but with the actress recently turning 50, it’s easy to believe that Cat could have built up her own powerful media business by this point.

Everything I’ve read about Cat Grant’s characterization on this show suggests she’s going to a bullying hardass of a boss who will cause Kara plenty of grief. TV Line says that “Kara serves as Cat Grant’s personal assistant and it’s not an easy job. Being an assistant to a super-villain might be easier.” I’m not sure where they got that description, but I can definitely picture Flockhart in the role.

Poor Cat. I like her a lot, but she keeps getting a raw deal when writers need a frenemy character.