http://movies.msn.com/paralleluniverse/anne-hathaway-cast-as-catwoman/story/feature/?gt1=28101Anne Hathaway has been cast as Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle, in "The Dark Knight Rises," Warner Bros. announced Wednesday.
Warner Bros. also announced that previously cast Tom Hardy will play the beefy villain Bane, best known for breaking Batman's back in the comics.
"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," director Christopher Nolan said in a statement.
Hathaway's casting ends months of speculation about who would win perhaps the most coveted female lead in Hollywood. It also ended rampant fan guesswork about who Christian Bale's caped crusader would face in the new film.
The announcement pairs one of Batman's oldest major foes -- Catwoman is also a frequent romantic interest -- with one of his newest. Bane debuted in 1993.
Catwoman previously appeared in 1966's "Batman," 1992's "Batman Returns" and 2004's ill-fated "Catwoman."
Bane previously appeared as a juiced-up, largely silent minion of Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy in 1997's "Batman and Robin."
"The Dark Knight Rises" is slated for release on July 20, 2012.