AceShowbiz -

Tom Hardy has spoken up about his role in "The Dark Knight Rises" when appearing on British talk show "Alan Carr: Chatty Man". And good news for fans who are not into the way the villainous character looked in "Batman & Robin", the "Inception" star has stated that his version will be significantly different from the one in the 1997 film.

"Have you seen Joel Schumacher's 'Batman & Robin'? Doesn't look very menacing, does he?" Hardy starts his explanation with rhetoric questions. "Christopher Nolan will revisit the character so I wouldn't go by that at all." Asked further if he would wear Bane's mask in the film, he jokingly answers, "Only if I feel like it!"

On his preparation to play Bane, Hardy shares, "I'm going to need to bulk up a lot for it. That's a lot of weight to put on and I've got to start shooting in May." He continues, "I've got to go up to about 13 or 14 stone. I'm 12 and a bit now, so I only have a few months to do that."

"The Dark Knight Rises" will start production this summer with Christopher Nolan serving as a director. Christian Bale is set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne and Anne Hathaway is tapped to play Selina Kyle. Hardy's "Inception" co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt reportedly is also cast in the movie.

The third film in Nolan's "Batman" trilogy is slated to open wide in the U.S. on July 20, 2012.