Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy: Batman has found a nemesis for his next cinematic adventure – and, it appears, a love interest, too. On Wednesday, Warner Brothers Pictures announced a new cast member and the role of another in “The Dark Knight Rises,” the third Batman movie to be directed by Christopher Nolan, the “Inception” and “Memento” filmmaker. Joining Christian Bale, who returns as Batman and his daytime alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is Anne Hathaway (of “Love and Other Drugs”) who will play Selina Kyle; the film will also feature Tom Hardy, a co-star of “Inception,” as the villain Bane.

As comic-book fans know, the Selina Kyle character is the secret identity of Batman’s sometime paramour (and sometime foe) Catwoman, and Bane is a muscular bad guy powered by an addictive drug called Venom. But a news release from Warner Brothers gave no descriptions of how these characters would be utilized in Mr. Nolan’s film. Mr. Nolan said in a statement only that Ms. Hathaway was “a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story” and that he was “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.”

“The Dark Knight Rises” is planned for release on July 20, 2012, with a screenplay by Mr. Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer.