The Dark Night Rises has been buzzed about for over a year now. Slowly the mystery is unravelled and new details of the production are revealed. According to totalfilm.com, Inception star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has joined the cast of the third installment.

Ever since Inception rumors have been stirring about Levitt’s possible involvement in the project. It seemed likely that Nolan would cast the talented actor again, but those rumors were constantly refuted by Nolan and Levitt’s reps. Well, to set the record straight, Levitt will in fact be starring in The Dark Night Rises. Unfortunately, in true Nolan fashion (that we have struggled with for over a year), there is no word as to which character he will be playing and whether or not he will be a villain.

However, since it has been confirmed that Levitt is starring, speculations have resurfaced about him playing the titular role of the conniving Riddler. As per usual, Nolan probably still has some tricks up his sleeve. Regardless of Nolan’s ploys, fans of Levitt should be thrilled to see that baby face dawning the silver screen once again.

Good old Christopher Nolan has been keeping us in the dark (no pun intended) for quite a long time now regarding the details of the third and final installment of his Batman trilogy. Finally the tight-lipped director has revealed who Thomas Hardy will be playing in The Dark Night Rises.

Perez Hilton reports that Hardy will be playing the villain, Bane alongside a freshly cast Anne Hathaway who will be playing Selina Kyle. Bane appeared in the 1997 film, Batman & Robin as the silent sidekick of Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). However, Bane will take on much more of a leading role in The Dark Night Rises.

Bane originally appeared in the Batman comic books in 1993. He was imprisoned for nearly his entire life where he developed strength and agility within the confines of his cell. When prison guards took notice of his unimaginable strength they chose him to be the test subject for a mysterious and lethal drug called Venom. After narrowly avoiding death, Bane discovered that Venom would increase his strength immensely, however he must take it every 12-hours otherwise he will suffer from hideous and fatal side-effects.

Bane is a good choice for a villain in the new film. He should prove to be a very tough match for The Dark Night due to his intelligence and incredible vigor. Let’s hope Hardy delivers.