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.