ANNE HATHAWAY to play as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

Any thoughts about Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle / Catwoman in the Dark Knight Rises? DISCUSS IT HERE

The Dark Knight Rises Release Date: July 20, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises casting speculation can officially end right now - Warner Brothers have confirmed that Anne Hathaway will be playing Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, while Tom Hardy has been confirmed as Bane.

Catwoman has long been a fan favourite for Rises - despite that Halle Berry film - and Hathaway has been a front runner during recent casting calls.

In the comics the character is high ****cat burglar of questionable moral character who forms a complex love/hate romance with Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Hardy, who was cast before Christmas and thought to be attatched to any number of roles, will play Bane, who - unlike the joke of a character portrayed in 1997's Batman & Robin - is actually a genius military strategist and fearsome soldier driven insane by the super soldier serum 'venom'.

Bane famously broke Batman's spine during a confrontation in the Knightfall saga in the early 1990s, forcing Bruce Wayne to relinquish the mantle of the bat for a time.

Christopher Nolan stated, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story."

On working again with Tom Hardy, Nolan said, "I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman's most formidable enemies."

This news couldn't have come at a better time, with 2012's other superhero movies gathering all the column inches in recent weeks.

We're particularly excited about the announcement that Bane will be the villain - and seeing Hardy bring the monster to life - might we be seeing the long-awaited adaptation of Knightfall? We can only hope.

The Dark Knight Rises is released July 20 2012.

Read more: Film news Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises | TotalFilm.com

TOM HARDY as BANE

TOM HARDY as BANE

Carminesqueez

I'm officially excited for The Dark Knight Rises. Tom was so good in Inception. But I'm not a fan of Hathaway, she's not a bad actress. I just think her face looks funny.

Anne Hathaway is a beautiful and good actress. However, she's more suited for romantic comedies, and dramas. She's not suited for this type of film. Also, she has a nice body, but she doesn't have the body type for the Catwoman costume. She was a poor choice. Also, she seems too young for Christian Bale's Bruce/ Batman. They should have chosen someone older.

Jessica Alba would be a much better choice, IMO.

Jessica Alba would be a much better choice, IMO.

shoot-first

She's a terrible actress. A Christopher Nolan film requires top-notch actors. C'mon man. Jessica Alba, in the same film with the likes of Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine? Never.

Atleast it ain't Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson.Kenny789

Amen to that.

I'm somewhat disappointed... I wanted the Riddler to be the villain :(

[QUOTE="Kenny789"]Atleast it ain't Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson.fend_oblivion

Amen to that.

I'm somewhat disappointed... I wanted the Riddler to be the villain :(

I hate this. It will be just like Batman Returns. Add a pointless romance that detracts from the main story, a wannabe villain who isn't a villain in the slightest and another sob story character.

I was hoping Hush would be in the film.

Anne Hathaway is a good actress she can pull it off I think, there are loads of worse actors to choose.

Im dissapointed Nolan is sticking to villains that have been in previous films... again.

That was the great thing about Batman Begins, we had new villians to look at.

Its going to be a good film no doubt.

i want my michelle pfeiffer back :(.

I was hoping Hush would be in the film.

Anne Hathaway is a good actress she can pull it off I think, there are loads of worse actors to choose.

Im dissapointed Nolan is sticking to villains that have been in previous films... again.

That was the great thing about Batman Begins, we had new villians to look at.

Its going to be a good film no doubt.

D1zzyCriminal

To be fair their aren't alot of mainstream Batman villains left that would work in the Nolanverse. I can think of some villains that'd work but none of which are mainstream.

They probably would of brought back Joker for a second go had Ledger not died.

hmmmm Anne Hathway in skin tight leather .....i can already feel the Dark Knight RISING

and yes....pun intended :D

Nah, poor choice methinks. I like her but I don't know if she'll have the attitude needed. Maybe she'll make it work though.

People thought Health Ledger was an odd choice for Joker when casted. And they were dead wrong

i dont have a problem with the actors, it's just the characters. but nolan will definitely make a good film

Well what did you expect? It's the movie business. Naturally they are going to gettheir friends the parts. Aside from that I think they want their audience to watch the movie, not eyeball cat woman and get boners.

There is already a thread about this.