The development of Christopher Nolan's third Batman film has been rife with mystery. Many questions have surfaced around the identity of the film's villain(s). The Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight was so incredibly groundbreaking and iconic that it has been difficult for anyone to imagine another actor or villain matching his performance. This led to rumors early on that the late actor would be resurrected for the third film in a cameo appearance via Computer Generated Imagery, but Nolan quickly squashed those rumors. It was then debated whether another actor would take over the role from Ledger, but again Nolan firmly stated that the Joker would make no appearance in the third film. Although this disappointed some fans, it was probably a wise move by Nolan. But now the question remains: Which villain will rise to take his place? Rumors about the Riddler and the Penguin abounded but didn't pan out. We did, however, receive news of the film's title, which was revealed to be The Dark Knight Rises. It is an awesome-sounding title, although I would have preferred something more unique, similar to how The Dark Knight differed vastly from Batman Begins.

In any case, the title proved to be the only piece of information relevant to "Batman 3" until the news dropped in October that Tom Hardy (Inception) had been cast in the role of the lead villain. Most assumed this villain would be Dr. Hugo Strange, an idea that stemmed from the fact that The Dark Knight Rises was said to be partially based upon the graphic novel Prey, which features Dr. Strange teaming up with Gotham's police force to hunt down a fugitive Batman. Judging from the end of The Dark Knight, this would be a logical next step for the third film. However, this past week marked a major turn of events, as two vital pieces of information were released: That Anne Hathaway had been cast as Catwoman, and that Tom Hardy in fact would play the steroid-using Bane.

Nolan's decision to use Bane is interesting. As one of Batman's lesser-known rivals, it seems odd to follow the Joker, the greatest of all of Batman's adversaries, with a villain known solely for his physical strength. But Bane's character hasn't received the credit he's due (thanks in no small part to his caveman-like portrayal in Joel Schumacher's sacrilegious Batman & Robin), and the character is a good psychological and physical match for Batman. I, for one, am looking forward to finally seeing a decent portrayal of Bane, especially in the hands of the very capable Tom Hardy. Some fans have pointed out that Hardy is not really the physical match of his comic book counterpart, but Nolan has proven that he can successfully take creative liberties, so fans shouldn't be worried.

More problematic to me, however, is the casting of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. She's a fine actress, but I question whether she has the dramatic chops to play a role as edgy and unstable as Catwoman. A fair amount of Catwoman's character and appeal is based on her sexuality, which Hathaway certainly has a handle on, but this sexuality needs to be balanced with emotional characteristics of anger, obsession and downright psychosis, which are traits that the actress doesn't exactly emanate. Then again, Nolan has proven himself a brilliant master of casting, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing.

In any case, now that we have our villains, the big question remains what the plot of The Dark Knight Rises will be about. Although the rumors of Dr. Strange have proven to be false, Prey is still a likely candidate for source material. No doubt Gotham's police force will be targeting Batman, and Gotham's watchful guardian will be drastically compromised. Reports indicate that Catwoman will rise to take Batman's place and that his return will be prompted by her vigilante activities.

As for Bane, I'm willing to bet that he will be an experiment by the police force used to bring Batman in. This situation will naturally go drastically wrong, and Bane is sure to have his own evil agendas. Whatever happens, Batman will undoubtedly need to redeem himself in Gotham's eyes. Beyond this, very little information is currently known about The Dark Knight Rises. But Christopher Nolan's track record indicates that the next Batman film will be another fantastic effort. The question stands: Will it top The Dark Knight? We'll have to wait until summer 2012 to find out.