From the moment it was announced that Inception stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard were to reunite with director Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises, there’s been a tonne of speculation over the identity of their characters, ‘John Blake’ and ‘Miranda Tate’. Actually, that’s not quite true… there’s been a tonne of speculation over the identity of John Blake, whereas it’s been assumed virtually from day one that Miranda Tate will turn out to be none other than Talia al Ghul – the daughter of Batman Begins antagonist Ra’s al Ghul and (in the comic books at least) the mother of Batman’s son, Damian Wayne.
Well, apparently not – at least, not according to the actress herself, with Cotillard telling The Hollywood Reporter that Miranda Tate is “a very, very small role”, describing the character as an ecologically minded businesswoman who “is fascinated by Wayne Enterprises. They go through difficulties, and she wants to help provide the world clean energies. She’s a good guy.” Asked if she remains a good guy, Cotillard replied with an emphatic “yes”. So there you have it folks – in no way is the following Talia al Ghul, and if you want to completely avoid even the smallest possible spoiler from The Dark Knight Rises, this is where you stop reading…
Let’s take a moment to think about this… we know that Josh Pence and Joey King are playing young versions of Ra’s al Ghul and Talia, and we know that Liam Neeson will also reprise his role as normal-aged Ra’s in some way, shape or form. We also know from the multitude of spy photos taken during the shoot last year that Cotillard’s character has plenty of non-threatening interaction with Bane’s mercenaries, not to mention the fact that her choice of clothing doesn’t exactly scream ‘ecologically minded businesswoman’. So, call me a cynic, but I think Miss Cotillard is telling a little fib here… either that, or there are going to be a tonne of deleted scenes featuring Miranda Tate.
The Dark Knight Rises is released on July 20th, with Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt joining a cast that includes Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.
Originally published May 9, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
