The first hot rumor on who Tom Hardy would play in The Dark Knight Rises was that Hardy would play The Riddler, though that rumor was quickly shot down by director Christopher Nolan. Last month, my fellow MovieBuzzer editor Alex ran through the rumored villains last month. Obviously fans have been searching high and low for any information on who the villain of the next film will be after a legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger in the previous film. Well according to Total Film, Hardy‘s role has been set, and, per usual, it’s a bit of a surprise from Nolan. Hit “more” to check out the latest rumor!
Hardy‘s rumored role is Professor Hugo Strange, a psychiatrist hired by Gotham City to work with the police department in capturing Batman. Strange is one of the earliest Bat-villains, making his debut in Detective Comics #36, less than a year after Batman himself debuted in Detective Comics #27. In his initial appearances, Strange was a typical mad scientist, but in the 1970s Strange learned Batman’s identity and began an obsession with killing Batman and taking his place, often employing mind games in an attempt to break down the Caped Crusader.
TotalFilm also reports that the script for the film is primarily based on the “Prey” story arc originally published in Legends of the Dark Knight #11 – 15, which involves the Gotham mayor hiring Strange to bring in the outlaw Batman early in the Dark Knight’s career. That certainly gels with the current storyline of the film series, in which Batman is thought to be an outlaw by the general public. It should also be noted, moreover, that the Prey story arc also features Catwoman, another character who has been rumored to be in The Dark Knight Rises. Something tells me that the value of my original issues of Prey will go through the roof very shortly…
The film is being co-written by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan and being directed by the latter. It is expected to hit theaters on July 20, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are all expected to return to reprise their roles from the previous films.
Do you think Hugo Strange is a good fit for Nolan’s Bat-universe? We know Hardy can rock facial hair from Bronson, but is he a good fit for Hugo Strange? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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