PHOTOS | Catwoman and Superman emerge

Summer has been superhero season for a while now and the next couple of years look to be no different, as the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s hugely popular reboot of the Batman saga will hit the big screens in July of 2012.

And arriving soon after the long-anticipated teaser trailer, an official image of Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Brokeback Mountain) has been released this week. Hathaway will be taking on the role of Selina Kyle, whom fans will know as Catwoman, the seductive jewel thief who, throughout Batman’s long-running history in several media, has been known to melt the heart of the stoic Caped Crusader.

While the role has been previously tackled by Michelle Pfeiffer and (less successfully) Halle Berry, Hathaway appears to be conforming to Nolan’s grittier take on the Batman mythos. Caked in gadgets and – curiously – astride Batman’s own motorcycle (the ‘Batpod’) the image has piqued curiosity amongst fans.

Also in the (superhero) news this week is a more distant but no less buzz-inducing project: The Man of Steel has finally shown his new face, as Tudors star Henry Cavill will be taking on the iconic role of Superman in Zack Snyder’s reboot, set for release in 2013.

Check out the image below, along with a couple of sneaky on-set shots of Batman himself (Christian Bale) battling Bane (Tom Hardy).