Warner Bros. has sent out a press release revealing who Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play in The Dark Knight Rises.  Rumors that Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt would play Talia al Ghul and Alberto Falcone, respectively, have turned out to be false, or at least not as simple as a straight reveal.  Cotillard will play "Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham."  As for Gordon-Levitt, he's been cast as "John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.  Neither character has previously appeared in the comics.Hit the jump for my thoughts on the casting along with the full press release.  The film also stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.  The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.So after much speculation on who Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt would play, the correct answer was "No one you've ever heard of because they're characters are being created specifically for the movie."  For folks worried that TDKR would suffer from villain overload, that doesn't seem to be the case at this point.  Of course, new casting and new characters could be announced, but it currently looks like all of the major casting has been locked.  It's also worth noting that these roles may not be as simple as they appear.  For example, Devin over at Badass speculates that Miranda Tate is a cover for Talia al Ghul.Personally, I'm fine with Cotillard and Gordon-Levitt playing original characters as long as those characters are well-written.  And even if they were playing characters from the comics, we don't know how Nolan would adapt them.  He's already said that his take on the villain Bane (who's being played by Tom Hardy) will be a "new interpretation".   Fans need to accept at this point that everything on the film is going to be kept hush-hush until several months before the film is released at which point marketing will spoil just about everything.In the meantime, enjoy the blissful ignorance and be excited for the unexpected.Here's the press release:

MARION COTILLARD AND JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT CAST

IN CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”

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.