New DARK KNIGHT RISES Details Reveal Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is Allied with Tom Hardy's Bane

During a recent interview Hathaway spilled story details that help shed light on her character in director Christ Nolan's third Batman film which is scheduled for release on July 20th, 2012.

The Dark Knight Rises is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar winner Christian Bale again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar winner Michael Caine plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Lucius Fox. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer.

Speaking with the LA Times Hero Complex, Anne Hathaway -- who is the next actress in line after Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriwether to play the role of Catwoman -- divulged new details about the inclusion of her mysterious, spandex clad character in The Dark Knight Rises. First and foremost, she wants fans of the franchise to know her rendition is a completely unique portrayal of Catwoman who is influenced by the environment she finds herself in:

“What’s come before doesn’t limit or even affect this new version. It doesn’t affect me because each Catwoman – and this is true in the comics as well – she is defined by the context of the Gotham City created around her. Catwoman is so influenced by Gotham and whoever is creating Gotham at the time... You have to live in whatever the reality of the world is and whatever Gotham is.

“Gotham City is full of grace. You look at Heath’s performance as the Joker, there was a lot of madness there but there was also a grace and he had a code there. There’s a lot of belief and codes of behavior in Gotham and my character has one, too. A lot of the way she moves and interacts with people is informed by her worldview. Chris has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews that it’s just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character’s skin.”

This scene description comes directly from the news outlet, detailing a scene in the film only hinted at in the trailer and revealing that Hathaway's Catwoman is more vicious than previously suspected:

'Gotham City is a war zone. A ruthless madman named Bane has ripped away any sense of security and the citizens, haggard and clutching suitcases with refugee anxiety, sit behind barbed wire waiting to see what will blow up next. A hooded prisoner is dragged in – it’s Bruce Wayne, one of Gotham’s most famous faces – but the eyes of the crowd go instead to the woman in black standing at the top of the staircase.

'"Sorry to spoil things, boys, but Bane needs these guys himself,” says sultry Selina Kyle, played here by actress Anne Hathaway, navigating the steps with stiletto heels that, on closer inspection, turn out to have serrated edges capable of leaving nasty claw marks in a fight. She also wears night-vision goggles that, when not in use, flip up and resemble feline ears.'

Regarding the costume itself, which caused quite a stir around the net when it was officially revealed, Hathaway is completely on board with it: “I love the costume...because everything has a purpose, nothing is in place for fantasy’s sake, and that’s the case with everything in Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City.”

The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Gary Oldman​, Michael Caine​, Morgan Freeman​, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt​, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard​, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff, Burn Gorman​, Nestor Carbonell, Alon Aboutboul​, Matthew Modine​, Tom Conti, Brett Cullen​, Chris Ellis and Joey King and is scheduled to hit theaters July 20th, 2012.