It's been rumored for a couple weeks now, essentially started when Warner Bros. formed an video game division dedicated to turning oh so lucrative movie (and likely TV) franchises into the sweet, sweet cha-ching of a licensed videogame. We're still not sure how well the venture will turn out, since as everyone who's played a licensed video game or three knows, nearly all of them are abysmally bad.



The first deal to be birthed from the new studio is the rumored agreement most have already heard about between Electronic Arts and the WB Interactive Entertainment wing. Under the deal, EA will have multi-year rights to the Catwoman movie franchise, and has already set to work the same UK studio that crafted the Harry Potter games for EA. The license gives the dev/pub powerhouse the go-ahead to publish on every conceivable platform known to man, which it unquestionably will to rake in maximum coinage.



While EA is still rather vague on the overall presentation and storyline, it's been revealed that the game will more or less follow the movie, which is a sharp departure from the comic book lore. Catwoman alter-ego Selena Kyle will be replaced instead by Halle Berry's portrayal of Patience Philips. Patience inadvertently stumbles upon a conspiracy and more than her fair share of secrets under the employ of mysterious corporation. In a move laced with all kinds of mystical hoojoo, she's transformed into a woman with all the abilities and senses of a cat.



The transformation leaves her (and by process of digital translation, you) with the ability to climb walls, jump from rooftop to rooftop, use her trademark whip for transportation and attack, dodge bullets, pounce on foes and utilize her "cat senses" (yes, we know, it's rather nebulous). EA promises "fully interactive environments" (a number of them based on sets from the movie) that can be utilized in trapping or immobilizing enemies.



"Catwoman is a great complement to EA's portfolio of global blockbusters and we look forward to delivering a great game based on the film," oozed EA Executive VP Bruce McMillan. "We're also happy to extend our relationship with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics."



"As we have enjoyed successful ventures with EA, we are looking forward to continuing the relationship with Catwoman," mused WB Interactive Entertainment Senior VP Jason Hall. "The action, adventure, storyline, and characters in the film offer fertile ground for the development of compelling games."



"The dynamic visuals of Catwoman in action present an opportunity for a uniquely styled videogame," opined Paul Levitz, DC Comics' President and Publisher. "We look forward to seeing how the wizards at EA translate the visual excitement of the film into their medium."



As do we. As already stated, most licensed games -- especially ones that could very well be rushed to meet the movie's release in a few months -- tend to suck rather badly. It remains to be seen if EA UK can handle the translation while keeping the game, well, a game rather than regurgitated bits of the movie with passable control and interaction.



Then again, any chance to control any version of some superheroine version of Halle Berry will probably be enough for plenty of guys (most of us included) to line up and shell out the dough. Of course, the movie will probably do well to sate most of our desires to see the actress in some sort of skin-tight number. Time will tell, we suppose.