Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Batman 3: Dark Knight Rises Officially

Wow! Talk about getting a sucker punch below the belt. We’ve been speculating for a while that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be causing some serious trouble in The Dark Knight Rises as Alberto Falcone and there was a rumor or two floating around about Marion Cotillard reminding Bruce Wayne of the past in a deadly way as Talia al Ghul, but Collider has shattered those dreams with a press release from Warner Bros.

Truth is obviously a lot tamer than rumor as its revealed that Cotillard will be playing Miranda Tate, “a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham,” and Gordon-Levitt is teaming up once again with Christopher Nolan to portray John Blake, a “Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.”

Okay, all together now – Who?!?!?

Yep, Nolan pulled a fast one on us, with a couple of big names playing fairly regular characters… unless of course the name ‘Miranda Tate’ is a cover name to conceal Talia’s true identity. Hey! A guy can dream, can’t he? I was really hoping to see a Talia/Batman smackdown before Nolan and Bale let the franchise go.

Scope out the official press release below and then chime in with your opinions in the comment section. Is it really possible that these two are simply playing background characters? Even Daniel Sunjata has a more impressive role than these two.

MARION COTILLARD AND JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT CAST IN
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”

BURBANK, CA, April 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have joined the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.

Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham.

Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.

The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the award-winning blockbuster “Inception.”

The director stated, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Heading the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The main cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.