YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH ABOUT MY GIRLFIREND, PAUL. :)

I think they should do a Batman film with Lazarus as the villain. He was a great opponent for Batman.

Or the HARDAC storyline from the animated show in the early 90s. Also, Manbat.

Oh, wait, strike that first one.

The only mildly-impressive thing Bane ever did was break Batman's back. Tom Hardy, on the other hand, could probably break Bane's back if he wanted.

Tom Hardy playing a juicer? Should be a stretch.

I don't really get this Anne Hathaway business. But then, I didn't get Heath Ledger as the Joker when they announced that, and it all shook out. Maybe she'll surprise me. (Or maybe they're going a different direction with Catwoman?!)

Bane = lame.

The DC version of Venom.

They should have done Liam Neeson again, so that he can leap out of a pool of glowing goo, and shout, "Lazarus bitches!!"

I'm not sure we're going to see much of Catwoman. They specifically say that she is playing Selina Kyle. I'm guessing we're going to see more of the prostitute/thief version from Batman Year One. It also sets things up better for a second movie to do that. Look for a Holly Robinson to be cast soon.

I have to agree on Bane though. Not a big fan. But the biggest problem with Batman has always been the ridiculous villains. You could probably do a good Penguin if you made him more of the crime lord version, but I think Danny Devito has poisoned that well for good. I think the best possible villain would be Black Mask, but even he is pretty cheesy. Bane could be good if you take the best parts from Black Mask, Penguin, and Bane. Kind of make him a criminal mastermind who actually takes over. Ignore the roids, venom, and stupid mask.

I think the Penguin can be revived as a young Stanford/Madoff, maybe Jonah Hill in a couple years.

I'me more interested in someone rescuing the Riddler from Carey's hackery.

Clayface could be interesting.

Personally, I think it would have been a nice change of pace to have two female villains (like, say, Catwoman and Harley Quinn).

And this rabid Batfan has officially lost any interest in this film.

To be optimist, I doubt Nolan will go all 90s with Bane. And for all we know, Bane will be a minor villain, like Scarecrow in Dark Knight.

i'm kinda with 6 on this one. something's always creeped me out about anne hathaway (i finally realized that it's because the facial feature-to-facial real estate ratio is all wrong. her eyes, her nose, her mouth are all too big for her face. just one of those features being too big is usually fine, and even charming (see giada de laurentiis), but when they're all too big it looks like someone put regular size mr. potato head features on a mr. potato head, jr.). that weird face thing makes her perfect for a lot of the roles she's already played - the perpetual adolescent or charmingly befuddled innocent - but for a superhero flick? all wrong. BUT. i thought a similar thing about heath ledger (minus the weird looks thing), and he was great in the dark knight. so who knows? i suppose i'll give lady-strange-face a chance.

@11- Or a feature length version of the Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy team-up from the animated series, the one where they tie The Batman up with ironing boards and vacuum cleaners and throw him in a pond of toxic waste?

It's a pity, because attractive as he is, Tom Hardy is way hotter in the slightly-softened body type he had in Inception then when he's mega jacked.

By the way, for anyone who thinks Bane is some WWF-lite sort of creation, he's actually a fairly complex comic villain, by comic villain standards:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bane_%28com…

I mean, he came up with the best way to wear down Batman that no one had ever thought of: he blew up Arkham Asylum, letting out everyone Batman had ever put into it all at once.

why won't the ever learn from the same mistakes they've made in the past with the Batman franchise.....the more you make, the more they will suck.

Blessings counted, I guess, at least it isn't Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin. But Anne Hathaway is no Julie Newmar or Michelle Pfeiffer. But as directed by Christopher Nolan, the High Priest of Bogus Solemnity Himself, it won't matter.

Was kind of hoping for Deadshot.

@17 - Thank you! Does anyone on here, who has criticized Bane, actually know anything about him besides what they got from the movie Batman and Robin?

@22, when has not knowing anything stopped people from commenting on Slog? Also worth mentioning is that no one has read so much as a synopsis, never mind the script for this unfilmed future movie.

@22

I was particularly entertained by the claim that Bane is "DC's version of Venom."

They're both...umm...strong? And you can find the WORD "venom" in Bane's wiki entry...

...and Sean Young gently weeps...

@17, 22, 24

Yeah, people just haven't read the whole story that leads up to the breaking of Batman's back (or the aftermath). Bane is a great character who can be taken in a number of directions, and I bet it'll be done will (especially with Tom Hardy).

(I gotta set up a a Google alert for this kinda stuff...)

I kinda made a face at reading both of these choices (both for the chosen villain and the actor who will portray each), but I did the same thing at the choice of Bale/Batman and Ledger/Joker. Nolan's done a fine job so far IMHO, so I trust this one will turn out just fine as well.