The new Catwoman

Anne Hathaway to star as the next cat woman in upcoming blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises.

LOS ANGELES: Anne Hathaway has nabbed the coveted female lead opposite Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros made the announcement on Wednesday morning.

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

“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 was on the list of actors which tested for the role in recent weeks, along with Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley.

The announcement didn’t actually name Hathaway’s character as Catwoman, which keeps in line with Nolan’s more grounded approach to the movie series.

Michelle Pfeiffer starred as Kyle/Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.

The character, as interpreted by Burton, was a meek secretary who becomes empowered after she is almost killed and left for dead.

Pfeiffer played the role with a mix of repression and sensuality, with the character breaking out as a symbol of female empowerment and becoming a pop culture sensation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2011.