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Naya Rivera to voice 'Catwoman' in final posthumous role

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 4/1/21

Naya Rivera became a fan favorite on Glee, and according to The Hollywood Reporter's Aaron Couch, her voice will posthumously ring through the screen one last time as Catwoman/Selina Kyle in the forthcoming animated project Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One.

Couch reported Rivera as a member of the voice cast, stating she "completed her voice work" before her tragic death last July. He added that Part One is "expected to bow this spring or summer."

Rivera disappeared from a boat she had rented to take out on Ventura County's Lake Piru on July 8. The 33-year-old was actress and singer with her four-year-old son, Josey, and her body was found July 13. Her tragic death was officially ruled an accidental drowning, and she was laid to rest in Los Angeles on July 24.

County of Ventura Medical Examiner identifies woman’s body found in Lake Piru
Naya Marie Rivera
Age 33
Date of Pronouncement: 7/13/2020
Cause of Death: Drowning
Manner of Death: Accident https://t.co/LxbYlJ9nMm
— County of Ventura (@CountyVentura) July 14, 2020

The Ventura County Medical Examiner released heartbreaking details surrounding Rivera's drowning, including that she first helped Josey get back safely on the pontoon (h/t People).

The late California native has acting credits dating back to 1991, but her breakout role was as Santana Lopez on Glee from 2009-15. Her work was groundbreaking on the show, as she flourished on screen as the queer cheerleader in an off-and-on again relationship with Brittany (Heather Morris) that ended happily in marriage.

Post-Glee, Rivera went on land roles in television on Devious Maids (2015) and Step Up: High Water (2018-19). Her final film appearance was Mad Families (2017).

Catwoman won't be her first voiceover work, as she appeared in one 2016 episode of American Dad!, nor her first posthumous appearance. She served as a guest judge on Netflix baking competition Sugar Rush, and the episode aired in her honor July 31, 2020.

The Batman voiceover cast also features Josh Duhamel and Jensen Ackles, per Couch.

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