Actress Anne Hathaway poses at the Warner Bros. and InStyle after party following the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 16, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

LOS ANGELES  - Anne Hathaway has nabbed the coveted female lead opposite Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Warners made the announcement Wednesday morning.

The studio also revealed which character Tom Hardy, who joined the cast last fall, will play: Bane.

"I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman's most formidable enemies," Nolan said in a statement.

Hathaway was on the list of actresses which tested for the role in recent weeks, along with Jessica Biel and Keira Knightley.

The test involved Christian Bale, who had to leave his National Board of Review in New York dinner early so he could catch a flight back to LA. to conduct.

The announcement didn't actually name Hathaway's character as Catwoman, which keeps in line with Nolan's more grounded approach to the movie series.

Michelle Pfeiffer starred as Kyle/Catwoman in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns."

The character, as interpreted by Burton, was a meek secretary who becomes empowered after she is almost killed and left for dead.

Pfeiffer played her with a mix of repression and sensuality, with the character breaking out as a symbol of female empowerment and becoming a pop culture sensation.

In his interpretation, Nolan has been giving his characters a deeper and darker psychological edge.