Now this is interesting. Or maybe not. But that’s what makes it interesting.

The news this week out of the Warner Bros. publicity machine is the confirmation that both Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are indeed cast in The Dark Knight Rises, but as seemingly peripheral characters who don’t ring with any recognition from the comics. Cotillard is Miranda Tate, a board member of Wayne Enterprises who blah-di-blahs, yadda-yaddas, and something else that sounds dull. Gordon-Levitt is playing John Blake, a member of the Gotham City PD “assigned to special duty under Commissioner Gordon.”

The apparent innocuousness of this announcement has led to speculation that there might be more to both characters than the press release would have us believe. Given that Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul was living under an alias in Batman Begins, why wouldn’t his daughter Talia? This would bear out the longtime rumor about Cotillard. As for Gordon-Levitt, it was originally said that he’d be playing Alberto Falcone, the son of mob boss Carmine Falcone, played by Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins. In Batman comics’ continuity, Alberto Falcone is suspected to have been a serial killer known as Holiday, from a famous story called The Long Halloween. The Falcone rumor was later dispelled, however, unlike the one regarding Cotillard.

But hold on a minute. Geeky over-thinker that I am, I can envision a situation in which the Falcone rumor is actually true, but was unexpectedly leaked, so the production had to cover their tracks by disavowing it publicly. Why couldn’t this John Blake guy be living under an alias just like everyone else in Gotham?

All this is fueled by the idea that Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt are high-profile enough stars in their own right, and wouldn’t deign to take roles as small as the recent announcement makes them sound.

Well, to play Joker’s advocate here, perhaps they just want to work with Christopher Nolan again? Or maybe their roles are more significant, just without being as mysterious? We already know Catwoman is hanging around, so maybe Miranda Tate is just Miranda Tate, the third point in a love triangle with Bruce Wayne. Or maybe John Blake is! What, too controversial?

At any rate, remember that TDKR is the last Nolan Batman film, and the last we’ll see of this particular incarnation of all these characters, so there could be any number of other possibilities that no one has even considered. Though it does look like my dream of seeing Nolan’s take on the Riddler is going to stay just that.

I suppose I’ll have to take solace in the fact that two iconic Batman stories are getting the ‘toon treatment. Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, which has been in the works for a while now, just announced a pretty cool voice cast, including Bryan Cranston as Gordon, Ben McKenzie as Bats, Katee Sackhoff as Detective Sarah Essen, and as Catwoman, there might finally be something animated about Eliza Dushku.

But even more exciting than that is their next project, which is allegedly The Dark Knight Returns. Also originally written by Miller, TDKR is responsible, along with Watchmen, for ushering in the modern age of comic storytelling and elevating it from campy kiddie fare.

I’ve been checking out a lot of the DC Animated line recently, and under the guidance of producer Bruce Timm, I think they do a really great job. Their Wonder Woman in particular was a fantastic telling of her origin story, and I guarantee it’s already better than whatever David E. Kelley is doing, so I have high hopes for all the upcoming Bat projects.

Okay, thanks for your time, everyone. You can go back to Portal 2 now.

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