Still On the Rise

We've a new piece of info, and it's juicy!

That's right, we have a new cast member and two confirmed characters for The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's last Batman movie.

First up, we have Anne Hathaway, who has officially been cast as Selina Kyle. Fans of the franchise will know that Kyle has a secret identity, that of the leather clad, feline friendly, Catwoman. Interesting how they say she is cast as Selina Kyle, and just Selina Kyle. No mention of Catwoman was made in the official press release. Maybe Nolan is just bringing the character in and not introducing her masked other side, but that seems a little far fetched. Warner Bros. is probably just leaving the name Catwoman out so as not to invite comparisons to what will forever be known as the thing that killed Halle Berry's career. That's just good marketing on their part. It has also been reported that the role of Catwoman will serve the purpose of filling the void left by the exiling of Batman, and it will be her vigilante activities that bring the caped crusader out of hiding. Interesting...

Meow!

Next up, Tom Hardy, who has already been cast for a good while now, has been confirmed to be playing Bane. This gives me pause. Up until now, Nolan's films have dealt with villains that could very easily fit into the real world. Ok, Scarecrow was pushing it a little bit, and seeing Harvey Dent walk around with that much exposed flesh raised an eyebrow here and there, but regardless. The antagonists have always been very grounded in the here and now. Bane is a bit of a departure from that. Bane, in the comics, is injected with a serum called Venom, which builds his muscles to crazy sizes and gives him the strength of a freight train. That seems a little too far fetched for Nolan's hyper realistic universe.

Although, if anyone can come up with a believable way to bring the character into the film, it would be Nolan. If his past few films have taught us anything, it's that he can take the far fetched and make it real, and that he never includes anything with out a reason. Scoff all you want about Two-Face's inclusion in The Dark Knight; it was necessary to tell the story he wanted to tell. I think, given the right platform, Bane could turn into a very memorable villain. Though I would have preferred it if Hardy played Hugo Strange - which would make complete sense. I mean, he friggin' looks like him - I have no doubt that he and Nolan will do the character as much justice as Schumacher did in Batman & Robin. (Note the sarcasm)

Add a mask and more muscle? Just think of the possibilities!

No word yet on whether Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, or Gary Oldman will return to their respective characters, but it's expected. I mean, they'd have to be the biggest turkeys in the world to not take the role. I'm still holding out hope that maybe Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will make their way in here somehow, but it's looking more and more grim with each passing day. The verdict is still out on if Eva Green will take the role of Tali Al Ghul, which I would totally be down for, although, at that point, the project will be straddling the "too many villain" line that so many threequels cross. Who knows though...

And that's it.