After months of speculation, we now know that Christopher Nolan isn’t giving up the Batman franchise without going into the sexy feminine side of the myth: Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES — and yes, that sounds pretty dirty. And the previously announced Tom Hardy will play back-breaker Bane, an escaped criminal who gets super strength after getting jacked on drugs. (Bane was responsible for breaking Batman’s spine in a ’90s comics storyline.)
Hathaway joins a storied list of Catwomans, from Julie Newmar through Michelle Pfeiffer. (Let’s not mention Halle Berry…oops…) She doesn’t have much action star vibe, but that’s what CGI is for…and she would definitely look adorable in kitten ears. Somehow, we doubt Nolan’s vision includes kitten ears, however.
We’re big Tom Hardy fans here, so as long as he gets good and pumped up to play Bane, we’re all on board.
With two of Batman’s most important nemeses in the third film, Nolan looks on track to break the “third film curse” — if all goes as well as it could, this will be easily the best superhero film trilogy of all.
“…as long as he gets good and pumped up to lay Bane…”
Freudian slip, Heidi? ;-)
With those lips, Tom Hardy would have made a better Catwoman.
Dang, I was hoping Crispin Glover would play Bane AND Catwoman.
Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises — and yes that sounds pretty dirty
Well, it is supposed to be a tentpole movie.
Inception = good, therefore TDKR = bad. Simple formula. Nolan can’t hit everything out of the park. +, Bane = BLECH! no matter who plays him.
Tom Hardy. MMM!
I thought the first movie was boring, boring, boring. But the second was amazing! Here’s hope for the third!
“Inception = good, therefore TDKR = bad. Simple formula. Nolan can’t hit everything out of the park. +, Bane = BLECH! no matter who plays him.”
Is there a Nolan even/odd number rule similar to Star Trek flicks? I don’t think three good movies in a row would be breaking any kind of director record for success.
Tom Hardy is an amazing choice. Bronson was great.
What a terrible name for the movie! I am usually not one to be a knee jerk hater like lots of nerd fanboys out there, but why on Earth does every damn nerd friendly movie lately have to have “rise” in the title? T3: Rise of the Machines, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. “Rise” is the “smarm brow” of Hollywood blockbusters.
Can’t Nolan find to make room for Deadshot, Black Mask, Hugo Strange, or Talia?
I want hard core elitism in my bat movies. I want villains that the average joe schmoe movie goer has never heard of.
Bane already had his shot in Batman & Robin, and he sucked.
~
Coat
There must be cat ears. We need the cat ears. If Batman can have *ears* — not a prominent characteristic of a bat — then Catwoman can have some — which *are* iconic for a cat.
She doesn’t need a tail, though. That’s pushing it.
I beg to differ.
Ahem:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_echolocation#Bats
Bronson was an amazing film!
At the risk of playing into a fandom cliche, is it too much to hope for a costume party scene with Hathaway in the Julie Newmar outfit?
Look at the contour of that face! And those eyes! Dammit, Nolan, Anne Hathaway was made to at least have a Catwoman mask on! How about a scene where our thief, who’s been casing the wealthy Bruce Wayne as a potential mark, unwittingly stumbles on the Batcave and absconds with one of Bat’s new prototype masks — you know, the kind fitted with all those wonderful toys — for use in her latest heist? I mean… Catwoman! Kitty ears! So simple!
I want to know which Selina we’re getting.
Will it be golden age Selina? The crazy society dame who becomes a homicidal criminal.
The Animated Adventures Selina..society dame who turns robin hood for PETA.
Or will it be…ugh…Frank Miller Selina…the hooker with a military buzz cut who lives in the shitty appartment with more cats than my grandma and an underage brook shields “pretty baby’ish” hooker in training?
Or will it be the Jim Balent catwoman..who had really big boobs and….Hmm.
I vote for “The Animated Adventures Selina society dame who turns robin hood for PETA.”
Although, I would rather see villains that haven’t made it to the screen before. Except for Two-face. I’d like to see a good movie with him as the villain. since I didn’t think he was handled well in Dark Knight … and I didn’t think it was a good movie … or Batman Forever …
What’s wrong with the Brubaker / Cooke Selina? Dunny enough the current costume is my favorite and it really works well for Nolan’s Gotham. Plus it’s about time these films had a decent female lead character.
As for Bane, I’m only worried about fitting him in with the earlier batman setting. The character, like Selina / Catwoman has never really been done justice on screen. (Even while Pfeiffer in Returns was an interesting Burton creation, she was a terrible Selina and Catwoman.)
Of course, we might still see Hugo Strange. Someone pointed out that you could easily put in Bane for the cop who Strange sends out to take out Batman in the talked about Prey arc. Of course the next arc was Venom. It didn’t have Bane in it, but it involved his substance and laid the groundwork for him. Nolan has already showed a fondness for Denny O’Neil Batman stories and early Legends of the Dark Knight stories, with hints of them in his two other films. As long as her preserves the characters, I don’t mind streamlining and mixing continuity for the sake of fitting it all into a film.
“I want to know which Selina we’re getting.”
Perhaps one that doesn’t have a ‘comic book’ style catsuit?
Of course, this is merely speculation that WB will likely hype up plenty for about a year before the movie opens, until we become sick of it.
Oh, there will be a catsuit. Which style remains to be seen, but given the licensing potential (as one of the sexiest female characters in popular culture) there will be a multitude of costumes for sale!
@Cary: Technically, Two-Face already had a shot in the Batman movies, and he sucked, yet Nolan dug him out and fixed him, so……
“Oh, there will be a catsuit. Which style remains to be seen, but given the licensing potential (as one of the sexiest female characters in popular culture) there will be a multitude of costumes for sale!”
Can’t wait too see all the Catwomen costumed women at the Halloween parties after the film hits the screens!