First look at Tom Hardy as Bane in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises"

Principal photography began this week on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ "The Dark Knight Rises," the conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Leading the cast, Academy Award winner Christian Bale ("The Fighter") again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway ("Love and Other Drugs") as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Tom Hardy ("Inception") as Bane, Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") as Miranda Tate and Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Inception") as John Blake.

Returning to the main cast are Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred, Gary Oldman as  Commissioner Gordon and Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) as Lucius Fox.

According to the studios' release, Nolan is utilizing IMAX cameras even more extensively than he did on "The Dark Knight." The screenplay for "The Dark Knight Rises" was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan based on a story from Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer.

Warner Bros. released the first photo of Hardy as the villainous Bane (shown above) through a viral Twitter account. In the comics, Bane is one Batman's most dangerous enemies, possessing a mind for strategic planning in addition to the super-human strength he gains from the drug, Venom. He once broke the crime fighter's back, forcing him into retirement.

Unfortunately, Bane was portrayed by Jeep Swenson in 1997's "Batman and Robin" as a mindless thug working for Poison Ivy (Uma Thorman), just one of the many crimes committed by that film. Swenson died later that same year.