Catwoman & Bane Confirmed for The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman and Tom Hardy will play Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros. Pictures said Wednesday.

Director Christopher Nolan called Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Rachel Getting Married) “a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story” in the press release announcing her role as Selina Kyle, the woman in the cat mask who has enjoyed a long and complicated relationship with Batman.

Nolan also promised Hardy’s portrayal of muscle-bound villain Bane would be a “new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”

The Dark Knight Rises, the final part of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, is scheduled for release on July 20, 2012.