One of my favorite young Hollywood actresses has been cast in director Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises.

Nolan made the announcement this morning that Anne Hathaway has been cast for the part of Selina Kyle A.K.A. Catwoman. It was announced earlier that Tom Hardy (Inception) had been cast in an unknown role. The director confirmed that he would be playing the character of Bane.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Anne Hathaway has nabbed the coveted female lead opposite Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Warner Bros. made the announcement Wednesday morning.

The studio also revealed which character Tom Hardy, who joined the cast last fall, will play: Bane.

Bane, a man who spent his whole life in prison, was a test subject for a drug that gave him increased strength, although he also became addicted to that drug. As opposed to some of the more classic villains that have populated the Batman movies, Bane is a more recent creation (1993) and is best known for a story where he broke Batman’s back, leaving the hero a paraplegic.

“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,” Nolan said in a statement.

Hathaway was on the the list of actresses which tested for the role in recent weeks, along with Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley, as revealed by Heat Vision.

The test involved Christian Bale, who had to leave his National Board of Review in New York dinner early so he could catch a flight back to LA. to conduct.

The Caped Crusader flies into theaters July 20th 2012.

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