I feel like Goyer or one of the Nolans might had said at some point that they weren’t going to go with previously-featured villains in the The Dark Knight Rises but, obviously, they’ve changed their minds. Deadline says that Anne Hathaway has been cast Catwoman in the third Bat-flick and Tom Hardy’s role has finally been revealed as Bane - - and those characters were foes in Batman Returns and Batman & Robin, respectively.
All of you should know who Catwoman is, of course, but Bane isn’t quite as well-known. He’s basically an evil wrestler (complete with sinister luchador mask!) who juices on an immediately-acting muscle enhancer called Venom. Notably, he broke Batman’s back in a major storyline in the 90s (he got better, of course.) As I mentioned, Bane was previous played by real-life pro-wrestler Robert Swenson in Batman & Robin as a silent thug who did the dirty work of Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy. However, believe it or not, Bane’s actually pretty cerebral in the comics and I’m sure they’ve cast Tom Hardy to portray him as such. As Alex has pointed out, we’re probably going to see some shades of Bronson in our Bane.
Hathaway as Catwoman works, I think. Batman was going need to a girl in the movie, of course, and I suppose it fits the whole escalation theme that she’d be as "theatrical" and dangerous as him - - somebody too tough to be kidnaped by dirty cops and blown up in a warehouse.
Considering that this will be the last Nolan Batman movie makes it seem like the wrong choice to have Bane end the trilogy. I would also like to see Talia Al Ghul in the movie. Her presence would bookend the trilogy quite nicely.
However, I'm totally thrilled that Tom Hardy's going to play Bane. I can't wait to see his take on that character, because that's a fantastic villain for Batman to go up against.
Bane and Catwoman will be the first villains in the Nolan franchise that can physically beat Batman, so I'd be interested to see how that's handled in the movie.
This is an interesting turn of events. While I don't quiet know how they will work Bane into everything maybe they do make him like he is in the comics and smart and all that. How would Venom work in the Nolanverse? Maybe its some by product that Scarecrow makes
Hathaway as Catwoman I approve lol odds of hathaways boobs showing up at all?
Vengeance for Ra'az Al'Ghul!
Still, I think that Nolan might be shying away from a completely psychotic character like the Joker, both because it was done to perfection there and would only be compared, but also because of what playing such a character did to its actor. Thus, the absence of Hugo Strange I think. Unless there's something about Bane that I don't know about...
I think Bane could be great if pulled off right (read: not Batman & Robin). It's a shame that they ruined his image for the casual audience.
With this being the end of Nolan's run with the franchise, they could have the back-breaking arch included here. The only question is who would fill Bruce's shoes temporarily?
The answer: Hugo Strange.
Since seeing Dark Knight, I've been infinitely more interested in seeing a Nolan version of Catwoman vs. Talia Al Ghul. As for people arguing that Catwoman is the safe choice, what would you call the Joker? Also, you really think bringing in the daughter of the villain from the first movie isn't also rather safe? I'm sorry, but no one outside of comic book nerds give a shit about Talia Al Ghul. Most people don't even know who she is. Hell, most people didn't know who Raz Al Ghul was until Batman Begins. And there's nothing saying "Talia Al Ghul will not be in this movie."
I don't know how Anne Hathaway will fare as Catwoman, but to paraphrase Gary Whitta, most of the people complaining are the same people who complained about Heath Ledger as the Joker. I'll admit, I was one of the people who really doubted Ledger as the Joker - at least until I saw the first trailer and heard the laugh.
I'm way more excited to see this movie now then I would have been if the villain was Talia. Sorry nerds.
As for Bane, I'm glad they chose him over killer croc. I think he would be harder to fit in Nolan's universe. Hugo Strange would have been amazing but we've got him in the new Arkham asylum game so we still get that encounter.