The wait is long and painful for Christopher Nolan's next Batman movie. Luckily, we know a lot more now than we did a few weeks ago. WB recently confirmed that Batman will be joined by Catwoman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

There's still plenty that needs to be revealed between now and July 2012, but we at least have enough information to start piecing together the plot of the new sequel. This feature breaks down exactly what we know about the characters and story of The Dark Knight Rises. It also dissects the many rumors surrounding the project and suggests a few wish list items for good measure. There may be plenty of comic book movies in the pipeline this year, but it's safe to say The Dark Knight Rises will still be at the forefront of many geeks' thoughts.

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With recent casting announcements, it's safe to say we know the majority of the major characters that will play a role in The Dark Knight Rises. First, and most obvious, is Batman himself, played once again by Christian Bale. When last we saw the hero in The Dark Knight, he had just purposely taken the rap for Harvey Dent's murders and become the pariah of Gotham. We doubt life has improved for him that much in the time since. Having rebuilt Wayne Manor and the Batcave, Batman is now a recluse by both choice and necessity.

Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is one of the two villains of the movie revealed so far, though calling her a villain is probably overstating things. Just as this femme fatale is both a love interest and a frequent source of frustration for Batman in the comics, Catwoman looks to be less of a villain and more of a rival hero cleaning up the streets of Gotham in this movie.

Viewers can expect Bane (Tom Hardy) to act as much more of a direct foe to Batman, however. In the comics, Bane is a strategic mastermind with the brains and the brawn to stand toe to toe with Batman. His initial hatred for the Caped Crusader comes from the bat-like demon that once haunted his dreams. His addiction to the strength-boosting drug Venom is both an extra asset and his greatest weakness. Whereas the Bane of the comics is from Central America, actor Tom Hardy clearly isn't. We expect the movie to make various changes to the character, likely toning his strength and size down and playing up his more cerebral qualities.

Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) will likely play a central role once again. Gordon alone knows the truth behind Batman's role in the five murders. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice but to lead the manhunt for his friend and partner. If the first two films are any indication, then expect Gordon to find himself torn between both sides of the law he has to operate on, given his relationship with Batman. The strain that puts on the character, as well as his family, could give him some serious drama, even more than TDK afforded him, and we're eager to see that play out.

Assisting Gordon will be John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a beat cop who is hand-picked by Gordon to join his task force. Like Wuertz and Ramirez from The Dark Knight Blake is an original character rather than a familiar GCPD officer form the comics. That said, we wouldn't be surprised to see a few traces of Harvey Bullock in Blake.

Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) is a member of the Wayne Enterprises board who helps Bruce in his quest to resume his father's philanthropic undertakings. Tate will likely be a love interest for Bruce in place of the late Rachel Dawes, and maybe even a rival for his affections with Catwoman on the scene.

Ra's al Ghul will be back, this time played by Josh Pence in a series of flashbacks. Presumably this means the League of Shadows will have some presence in the film, possibly led by Bane or another character.

Luckily, Bruce Wayne will still have a small supporting network. Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) remains loyal butler, confidant, and father figure to Bruce. Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) continues to both oversee the daily operations of Wayne Enterprises and develop new gadgets for Batman. It's expected that The Dark Knight Rises will feature a new version of the Batsuit and a new Batmobile.

As for the players on the other side of the camera, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer are the primary architects of this sequel. The former Nolan developed a story outline in late 2008, before focusing his attention on Inception. The latter Nolan and Goyer expanded that outline into a rough draft script. Having completed Inception, Christopher Nolan is currently putting the finishing touches on the final script and is expected to complete it sometime this January.

Pre-production work is well underway for The Dark Knight Rises. Shooting is expected to begin this May and continue until November. WB will release the film July 20, 2012.

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To date we've heard very little from either Nolan or WB regarding any specific story details for The Dark Knight Rises. But given how The Dark Knight played out and the recent casting announcements, it's easy enough to infer certain things about the script.

Expect the tone of the movie to be grim, at least initially. Bruce Wayne is mourning the tragic deaths of Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent. He's mourning the equally tragic end of Dent's successful crusade against crime and corruption. The last shot of Batman in The Dark Knight showed the injured hero escaping from the GCPD, who now blame him for the five murders committed by Two-Face. We highly doubt all will have been magically forgiven in the time between the first and second sequels. Stealth and caution will be the order of the day as Batman has to stay one step ahead of Gotham's Finest. Expect the formerly close relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon to become strained.

As we reported in our Comics-to-Film guide, our sources have indicated that Catwoman won't necessarily be portrayed as a villain in this film, but rather as a costumed vigilante in her own right. It seems that Batman will have retreated into the shadows as the movie opens, but the arrival of a new crimefighter on the scene brings him back into the fold. In a way, Catwoman almost seems like a stand-in for Robin based on that description.

How Bane fits into the equation is questionable. The casting of British actor Tom Hardy as the colossally built, Latino villain suggests Nolan is aiming for something a little different than fans have seen before. Bane's first battle with Batman in the comics was chronicled in the storyline Knightfall, where Bane wore down the Caped Crusader by making him apprehend his many villains, and then finally fought the exhausted hero and broke his back.

We're not expecting a direct translation of Knightfall, but we do imagine Bane will provide a similar sort of challenge that pushes Batman to his physical and mental limits. Bane is the first villain in Nolan's films since Ra's Al Ghul that can match Batman punch-for-punch, and we expect to see at least one battle royale between the two. Based on WB's first promo image of Bane, it seems the villain will inhale an aerosolized form of Venom through tubes in his mask rather than a having liquid drug injected into his brain. This suggests Venom will be another compound derived from the plants grown by the League of Shadows. Ultimately, the question is where Bane will attack from. Will he pose as a legitimate ally of the GCPD? Will he muscle his way into Gotham's fractured underworld as Joker did? Will he be the pawn of another, more secretive villain like Talia Al Ghul? Or will he operate as a free agent? Though WB dashed the rumors of Marion Cotillard playing Talia, we're not quite ready to write her off yet. It's not inconceivable that Miranda Tate is merely an alias for Talia as she works to get closer to Brice and avenge her father's death. If Ra's al Ghul is appearing via flashbacks, then surely his organization must have some role in the story.


Regardless, expect the movie to feature at least some scenes outside of Gotham. Nolan has reportedly scouted locations in Asia, suggesting a return to the League of Shadows perhaps...? New Orleans has also been named as a possible location. Scouting in Romania is probably due to the need for a new Batcave set. Definitely expect Batman to make use of the rebuilt Wayne Manor and Batcave in this sequel, as well as the inevitable new suit and other gadgets cooked up by Lucius Fox.

While the plot for the Dark Knight Rises seems very dark and grim, we're ultimately expecting a more uplifting ending for Batman than before. This is the end of Nolan's trilogy, and everything has to be wrapped up nicely. The very name of the movie suggests a more redemptive outcome.