Here are two major pieces of The Dark Knight Rises news that you can take to the Gotham City bank.  First up, Warner Bros' has announced that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle.  Kyle's alter-ego is Catwoman, but the press release doesn't mention the character.  They only refer to Hathaway's role as "Selina Kyle".The other major piece of news from the press release is that Tom Hardy will be playing the Batman villain Bane.  It was previously rumored that Hardy would be playing villainous psychologist Dr. Hugo Strange.  Personally, I think Strange is a more interesting character than Bane, whose claim to fame is that he broke Batman's back in the comics.  Hit the jump to check out the press release.  The Dark Knight Rises is due out July 20th.As we previously reported, The Dark Knight Rises is rumored to have two leading female characters.  One was to be a villain and the other was to be a love interest.  The character Talia al Ghul was rumored to be in the movie and presumed to be the villain since she's the daughter of the villain from Batman Begins, Ra's al Ghul.  However, the inclusion of Kyle complicates matters.  Catwoman/Selina Kyle works perfectly as both a love interest AND a villain.  However, if she doesn't become Catwoman in the movie, then presumably she stays as the "love interest" and not the villain.  But it would be bizarre to try and hold Catwoman for a fourth movie when Nolan has said that he plans to make The Dark Knight Rises his final Batman movie.As for Bane, I'm surprised a character that super-natural and comic-book-y has made it into Nolan's grounded-in-reality Gotham City.  For those unfamiliar with the character, Bane is hooked up to a chemical known as "Venom" that causes his body to become super-muscular when injected.  He also wears (in the comics) a Mexican wrestling mask.  Of course, the press release states that this will be a "new interpretation" of Bane.Here's the press release:

BURBANK, CA, January 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “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 will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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