Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard Officially Added to Cast of The Dark Knight Rises

To the surprise of no one, Warner Bros. officially announced on Tuesday that the long-rumored two-some of Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have been added to the already-bulging cast of The Dark Knight Rises. What may surprise, however, is just which characters the Inception co-stars are playing.

According to the press release Cotillard is set to tackle the role of "Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father's philanthropic endeavors for Gotham." (Apparently getting over Maggie Gyllenhaal is a lot harder than you thought.)

As for Gordon-Levitt, he'll star as "John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon."

You'll recall that rumors had Cotillard tipped for the role of Talia Al Ghul (the daughter of Bruce Wayne's Batman Begins mentor-turned-villain), while Gordon-Levitt was rumored to play or not play Alberto Falcone, the Holiday Killer. Are "Miranda Tate" and "John Blake" just aliases for those two characters? Is Christopher Nolan pulling a fast one on everyone or was most of the Internet scuttle dead wrong? Read the full press release below, and sound off in the comments.

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.