Joseph Gordon-Levitt is ALBERTO FALCONE aka The Holiday Killer in "The Dark Knight Rises"

The buzz about what character will Joseph Gordon-Levitt play in "The Dark Knight Rises" hasn't stop yet. But earlier today, thanks to Jeff Sneider from Variety, it was reported that Levitt will play a potential villain named Alberto Falcone. Yes, Alberto Falcone is the son of Carmine Falcone, which was played by Tom Wilkinson in the previous "Batman Begins". Alberto Falcone appeared in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Batman series "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" as the main antagonist.

Geez, seems like Bruce Wayne has a lot of villains to handle this time. From Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, Tom Hardy's Bane, and then Levitt's Alberto Falcone. But from what I'm seeing, seems like Falcone will be the pivotal enemy in this movie, since he'll be likely 'inheriting' his father's involvement in "Batman Begins". Also, Falcone is a Mafia, so he totally has the access of the Gotham City (read: somewhat has 'authority'). It such a great idea that Christopher Nolan, the mighty director, has been wanting to keep Batman's villain as realistic as possible, thus his version of Batman is not your average superhero movie. What a genius.

Meanwhile, the involvement of Oscar winning actress Marion Cotillard hasn't been confirmed until now. I'm still quite confused of what role she's going to play if she actually signs in, since I'm personally not into the Batman comics so I don't really acquaint the characters. The Juno Temple news isn't also confirmed yet, for she is merely 'eyed' -- not officially signed in. Speaking of Temple's character: "a street-smart girl in Gotham City", I'm still wondering why Nolan didn't ask Ellen Page to do this. I mean, "The Dark Knight Rises" seems to be an "Inception" reunion (sans Leonardo DiCaprio though), and imagining of what Temple's alleged character looks like, it reminds me of Ellen Page immediately. But since Temple isn't official yet, I think there's still a hope for Page to do this role. ;)

EDIT: Well, seems like this news is somehow, 'twisted'. A rep from Entertainment Weekly said that Levitt will NOT play Alberto Falcone afterall, and that we won't get any idea of what his role is until close to the film's release date. So, I think, before any official announcement of Levitt's role, let's consider all of these rumors as merely 'opinions' or 'hopes' from the Batman fans. Agree? ;-)

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Gary Oldman said "The Dark Knight Rises" story is 'fantastic'

Living legend Gary Oldman who recently confirmed that he's returning to play Jim Gordon in "The Dark Knight Rises", spilled out a bit about the upcoming Batman installment. "I have not read the script. But I have talked to Christopher Nolan about the story. It's fantastic. You can't top The Dark Knight, and I think he may have," Oldman said.

Citing on the previous sequel "The Dark Knight" and Nolan's most recent work "Inception", which won four Oscars at this year's 83rd Annual Academy Awards (it was also the biggest winner tied with "The King's Speech"), I think "The Dark Knight Rises" will be phenomenal. Can you imagine a 'realistic' storyline like "The Dark Knight" combined with breath-taking special effects in "Inception"? Clearly I'm too excited for this!

Moreover, in addition to Oldman, numerous great actors will graze the screen of this movie. The Bruce Wayne/Batman himself, Christian Bale won an Oscar earlier this year for his work in "The Fighter". Morgan Freeman will return to play Lucius Fox, as well as Michael Caine to play Wayne's most loyal wing-man Alfred.

The list of these amazing actors increases as Warner Bros. has officially cast Golden Globe nominee Anne Hathaway to play Batman's infamous love interest/enemy Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and then this year's BAFTA Orange Rising Star winner Tom Hardy as another Batman enemy Bane. The latest casting calls finally went to Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Oscar winning actress Marion Cotillard, even though there's still no confirmation of what role they are going to play.

Generally it's like a mash-up of "The Dark Knight" and "Inception" stars, and I really hope it will be also a mix of the storyline. The rumor about League of Shadows (a group of Batman's arch-enemies) will be featured in this movie has been buzzing on the internet, and that Ra's Al Ghul daughter, Talia Al Ghul will also be featured. With Catwoman and Bane will officially be present at the movie, I don't think we will find an epic villain like Joker as portrayed by Heath Ledger, but I think Nolan will still make it thrilling.

Nolan made a big breakthrough inside comic book-to-movie adaptation world, by erasing the 'cheesy' stereotype of superhero movies. "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" weren't just action-packed flicks, they actually gave thrill and chill to the audience. Bottomline, "The Dark Knight Rises" will be the most awaited-yet-exciting superhero movie next year, I optimistically think it will beat out its contenders "The Avengers" and "The Amazing Spider-Man".

Catch "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20, 2012. Stay tune on this blog for more updates of this production!

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