Batman ends casting rumors with Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy

After years of having to put up with rumors like Eddie Murphy as the Riddler, or Jim Carrey as The Joker, or Angelina Jolie as Catwoman, the stupid rumors have finally come to an end. /Film is reporting that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selena Kyle (alter ego Catwoman) and Tom Hardy is cast as Bane. It's interesting to say the least.

Now, let's start with Hathaway as Selena Kyle. First off, let me make this clear, Nolan's press release stated "Selena Kyle" not Catwoman. The difference could be pretty big. Catwoman was a terrible movie starring Halle Berry, where as it seems they will go for the more grounded approach of Selena Kyle, Cat Burglar. And in that sense, I think Hathaway has the acting ability and the sex appeal, even though we haven't seen the aggressive side of her yet, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Bane is a tough one. He has brains and brawn, so Hardy could channel the cold, calculating character, that is as smart or smarter than Batman, or he could go with the all out animal you see in Batman and Robin. I'm hoping for a mix of the two, actually, and after seeing Inception, I'm really interested to see if Hardy can pull it off. The trick, I think will be grounding this guy in the real world, as the rest of this series does. Bane is a monster, and it could be tough. It's also interesting that this character is the only one to defeat Batman, by literally breaking his back. And, since director Christopher Nolan has said this would be his last, it could make for an interesting ending.

If the actors can pull of the two characters, it could make things interesting. You have Cat Woman who would be the Bruce Wayne villain, and you have Bane, a great villain for Batman, exploring the duality of the character. As long as it doesn't turn cheesy, and everything is somehow grounded in the real world, I think this could make for a great movie.