Tom Hardy Cast in "Batman 3"

After "Inception" hit theaters, a rumor began circulating that Christopher Nolan will hire one of the actors from the film for the third "Batman" installment, which will begin shooting in April.

It was assumed that it would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but Deadline is reporting that Tom Hardy (Mad Max 4, Bronson) has already been signed for "Batman 3." No word on whether he will play a villain, but it will definitely be a lead role.

Back in July, Warners' casting grid for the movie showed that The Riddler would be the main villain. Then a few days ago we learned that production will be taking place in Louisiana. Combined with some hints from Mark Millar, it is now being assumed that Killer Croc will appear in the movie as well.