If you don't know what Joseph Gordon-Levitt's full name is for his character in The Dark Knight Rises, don't fret; I'll save that tidbit until after the jump. But since director David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis) decided to chime with his opinion on Christopher Nolan and his Batman trilogy, we thought we'd let Gordon-Levitt have his say. In a recent appearnce on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Gordon-Levitt talked about the final scene from The Dark Knight Rises and whether or not that sets anything up for a future film. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.The Nolan effect has worked well on Gordon-Levitt, even weeks after The Dark Knight Rises has been out in theaters for people to see. Gordon-Levitt was a bit sheepish at first when asked about the final scene from the film, which features his character heavily. I'll share what the actor had to say after this lovely picture of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, after which, spoilers follow.
Still with us? Good. Now, if you've seen The Dark Knight Rises, you know that Officer John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) reveals his full name to include "Robin" in one of the final scenes in the film. The last scene shows Blake discovering the Batcave (beneath the newly minted Thomas and Martha Wayne Home for Orphans...) and rising to, presumably, take on the mantle of the Caped Crusader. Gordon-Levitt's comments follow (via MTV):
"It's pretty awesome, right? I was a fan of those movies before I ever met [Christopher Nolan] or did Inception or ever thought I was going to get to do The Dark Knight Rises. He's such a great storyteller and filmmaker. It was such an honor."
When asked if that last scene was leading us into a sequel, Gordon-Levitt responded:
"I don't get to decide those things. That's the honest truth, man. You think I get to make those decisions? I don't think it's necessarily a setup [for a sequel]. I think it's a great ending for that trilogy. Even if you go back to Batman Begins, he's talking about how Batman is more than a man. It's a symbol. A hero can be anybody, and we all have heroes inside of us. That's a theme that runs throughout the trilogy."
In my opinion, we've seen the end of Nolan's take on the Batman mythology, but I'd love to see JGL in any future iteration. Will it happen? Probably not.
