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TDK RISES NEWS

Gordon-Levitt is Playing Alberto Falcone in 'The Dark Knight Rises'!

by Alex Billington
March 20, 2011
Source: Variety

Looks like we now know who another villain is in The Dark Knight Rises! At first Variety only reported that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt had been confirmed, 100% booked, for a role in the highly anticipated sequel completing Chris Nolan's epic Batman trilogy, also mentioning that actress Juno Temple would be playing a "street-smart Gotham girl." Well, Variety's Jeff Sneider has recently updated his story announcing, officially it seems, that Gordon-Levitt will be playing Alberto Falcone, also known as the Holiday Killer from the fan favorite graphic novel The Long Halloween. Get ready guys, because this is going to be great.

And I don't just mean great, I mean f**king incredible! This is the perfect story for Nolan to toss in the mix with Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane. Alberto Falcone is a serial killer who is the son of Mafia chieftain Carmine Falcone, seen in Batman Begins played by Tom Wilkinson. In the comics, he sets up a pretty sick series of murders, but I'm betting Nolan is crafting his own version for the screen with those other characters mixed. Variety explains: "The character fits with [Nolan]'s stated intentions for continuity and preference to pit the Caped Crusader against 'realistic' villains." This is awesome news! Everything on The Dark Knight Rises so far really sounds like it's coming together to be the truly unbelievable follow-up to The Dark Knight we all want. It is possible! What are your thoughts on JGL as the Holiday Killer?

Update: We are now getting word from Entertainment Weekly that this information might not be true. But because we don't know who to believe yet, we're going to wait for more official word before reporting.

Filed under Hype, Movie News, TDKR

From around the web:

DaNorb

Sounds great!!!
r.i.p. michael gough

Get rid of the Catwoman element (and Hathaway) and this looks like a done deal.
- JL
  
  Yeah, I'd say this news sounds a lot better (and more in line with the previous two films) than the Catwoman and Bane news. Though I do reserve my judgement on both characters, because they can be made to be believable ones, regardless of past iterations. I just hope Catwoman's more like an extremely talented sleuth than a tight leather-wearing moody, gothic dominatrix with claws.
  - http://twitter.com/gimmesumsuga Mathieu David
    
    I have to say this kind of storyline - basically something like Nolan's version of Michael Mann's Manhunter with Batman cast as the profiler after a sick serial killer - sounds far more exciting than yet another version of Catwoman. But, I'll reserve judgement, because it'll be interesting to see if/how he's taken all these disparate characters and plotlines from the comics and made them work as one cohesive whole instead of a huge mess. Not only that, seeing how it essentially finishes one big story set in motion in 2005 will be fun. After this though, I hope our next visit to Gotham with a different filmmaker won't be quite so prejudiced against the fantastical. Plausibility in superhero flicks is interesting, but it's not the only way...
  - http://twitter.com/gimmesumsuga Mathieu David
    
    Call me crazy, but surely making Catwoman a gorgeous sex-mad nutter in skin-tight leather/PVC is the finest creative decision any Batman filmmaker could make? Michelle Pfeiffer in her prime left an indelible mark on this commenter at an impressionable/horny age, anyway...
    - JL
      
      Well, I can't argue with you about Pfeiffer. She was mad hot in Batman Returns. But that was a different time, under different direction, and the expectation wasn't for believable human characters. In that scenario she did a perfect job. It just doesn't translate well into Nolan's mythos.
      - http://twitter.com/gimmesumsuga Mathieu David
        
        The thing is, that's one of the most plausible bits of human psychology in the earlier films. A lot of people misinterpret that character as having a 'supernatural' genesis in Batman Returns. Far from it. She isn't dead when she hits the ground - her descent is slowed on the way down - but the combination of someone trying to murder her, a near-death experience, and waking up to the sight of cats gnawing at her flesh traumatises her and sends her insane, creating the new identity of Catwoman. I like the character being an equal mix of madness and sexiness, something that hadn't been done before or since (at least on film). But obviously I'm not interested in seeing the exact same version every time, just as the post-Nolan films (of which I'm sure we will get many, after a respectful gap) should be nothing like Batman Begins, et al. No point in going over old ground endlessly, is there?
- Xerxerxex
  
  Hathaway is gonna be fine, give her a chance.
  - Anonymous
    
    damn log in.
197679

It's okay, although I'd hoped he'd have been Robin. Still not happy about Hathaway's miscasting as Catwoman who should be played by Emily Blunt. P.s. If needed, Eva Green is Talia!
- Johnny Neat
  
  P.s. This comment is mine, for the record. Damn iPhone.
- JL
  
  You're joking about the Robin comment, right?
- Anonymous
  
  How can it be a miscasting when the movie hasn't even come out?
  - Gh
    
    I agree, they did the same for Heath as the Joker too! Trust the Nolan guys,Trust him.
Ron

WHHHHAAATTT! No way! Get out of here! This is Awesome!!!
Anonymous

I would not have wanted Robin anywhere near the film.
- Carpio
  
  agrreeeeee
angelicafun

AMAZING!!! I'm sure JGL will be great as a villain! This is going to be awesome, why isn't it 2012 yet????
Vito

the interesting thing is that Batman and him don't really interact. Alberto's focus is jealousy of his siblings and the desperate desire to get the respect of his father. I think his story will be a separate entity to Bane's Marion Cotillard is Sofia Falcone?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Abelardo-Gutierrez-Chavez/640091706 Abelardo Gutierrez Chavez
  
  But Batman and Alberto do interact, after Maroni disfigures Dent in court, Alberto shoots Maroni in the head and Batman beats him till his arm goes numb...
Anonymous

Interesting choice... I know it will turn out great so keep it coming!
Max s.

Alright! JGL rocks so I don't care what he is in the movie.
Cruzer

Sweetsauce!
Spider

Damn! This is GOOD! This is bound to be epic....again!
Audioout

For some reason I already knew this...perhaps I read a speculation post but it's nice to have it finally confirmed. So, I guess it's the Legacy plotline that was leaked a couple weeks ago. Awesome.
http://twitter.com/A5J4DX A5J4DX

he'll be awesome regardless
t0tallyrad

This is fantastic news! JGL will be a badass Holiday. Long Halloween is one of my favorites, so I'm excited to see them pull from it again!
happy camper

Sounds great! So happy there is no Riddler involved.
- CisforCinema
  
  Yeah, I'm relieved, Riddler would have been the obvious (boring) choice, but why would we ever doubt Nolan?!
luis

long halloween is amazing story cant wait
- CisforCinema
  
  Totally Agree!!
luis

hopefully nolan get an oscar for a comic based movie it would be awsome
penny

This is absolutely ridiculous. Why bad mouth Anne Hathaway, if you haven't seen her performance as Catwoman ? Heath Ledger dealt with this same nonsense for his role as the Joker. Hollywood Reporter mentioned that Hathaway ( and the other actresses ) screen tested with Christian Bale. Trust me , if Anne was truly awful ( or mediocre) with her screentest with Bale , she would not have been approved by Nolan ( he has the clout to override any studio's objection to casting) , the producers, nor by Bale ( very outspoken and opinionated guy ) . Wally Pfister filmed the screentests , and he stated Hathaway was incredible with her screentest.
- Anonymous
  
  I'm sure Katie Holmes screen tested and she still got the job. Unless she was forced upon him, which I doubt cause he originally wanted her for the role again in TDK. Either way, any and all speculation is pointless at this point, but I can at least understand some fans frustration. There were better options out there, and Nolan has a track record (at least in his Batman films) of having weak female characters.
- Anonymous
  
  I agree penny, Hathaway will be just fine.
Anonymous

This is great news, the cast is superb! Bale, Oldman, Gordon-Levitt, Hathaway, and Hardy! Cannot wait.
Maxx

I wonder if they will have Holiday and Bane cross paths because I loved Levitt and Hardys interactions in Inception. A good chemistry there.
Ryan

No Hathaway is dragging this down. Im gutted she is involved. When I heard Ledger was the joker i was over the moon..........hathaway = SHITTY ACTING
- Anonymous
  
  How is she dragging it down? Have you forgotten that this Nolan we're talking about? He sees something in Hathaway and he casted her get over it.
Joshua m

Awesome, except The Long Halloween has a lot of Harvey Dent in it. Whatever, I'm sure Nolan will figure something out.
Anonymous

vhat?
Pasmackie

JGL = WIN no matter what! Christain Bale constantly doing the incredible stupid dark knight grunt = Fail why can CN get Bale to speak a little more normal and not so much GRRRR
- Anonymous
  
  I think people underrate Bale's Bats voice, I like it and it suits Nolan's Batman perfectly.
  - Ryderup
    
    I think you, and the very few who didn't laught at my screening, overrate it.
    - Anonymous
      
      how should he sound? His voice is prefect for his Batman.
      - JL
        
        I think after seeing that spoof video, people are all jumping on the bandwagon and trying to sound like legit critics. His voice didn't bother me at all.
  - JL
    
    I agree with you 100% on this one. I tell everybody this when the subject comes up. It all has to be disguised. He can't just talk in his normal voice. He covers up most of his face, he paints black around his eyes, (you may also notice a change in eye color when he's wearing the suit) so he must put the last piece in place and disguise his voice, too. Why don't people get this. Anyone who knew Wayne would be able to recognize him if he didn't do this.
- Yobooom
  
  Bales voice was digitally dropped A LOT, meaning what you hear isn't what he actually intended the voice to sound like.
Scott of the Antarctic

Are we 100% sure that he's going to be the Holiday Killer in this? I mean we Know he's playing Alberto but is Alberto going to be the Holiday Killer?
PhilCRinger

I fucking hope this movie leads to batman becoming the true Dark Knight. I mean, has he really ever been a detective yet? Bring in a serial killer and Bale may finally solve mysteries instead of being played by someone like Joker for almost 3 hours. We need a detective Batman.
- Anonymous
  
  What?
- Ross
  
  You mean the one who used radioactive tagging on bank notes in the last movie to track mob money? or the one who used his resources to get the finerprint off the bullit in the wall from the crime scene. (Both in the Dark Knight in case you missed it)
Rooneyman

I think a robin story with the Jason Todd storyline woulda been pretty badass. That's a dark and gritty story that Nolan definitely coulda perfected.
Mchertron

I really love the realistic villain approach and psychological creativity. I really hope he creates the best catwoman ever put on screen. Hathaway does have great range in her acting.
http://reelfoto.blogspot.com/ The Reel Foto

This movie is getting better and better! Kudos on Nolan on his choices!
Boby_wan

Remember folks: "It's all part of the plan..."
http://www.facebook.com/CoryLeeLind Cory Lind

I laughed at the thought of Leger playing Joker... I will never question Nolans decision making again. This should be good.
Edward Nigma

Sounds like the dogs dangleys to me. Shame about cat woman, would have rather left her out, but IN NOLAN WE TRUST!!
- Ross
  
  I wouldnt mind a catburglur called selina kyle with maybe a press moniker of catwoman. i dont want her purring to batman or having a tail. i must read the long halloween again though and refresh my memory on that
Gh

There seems to be plenty of characters in it and hope everyone gets a decent screentime ...He did Inception right? So....Trust the Nolan!
- Ryderup
  
  The problem with Inception was the lack of screentime, presence and depth of the characters.
Andre

Hathaway's roster is almost 100% fun/smiley/happy/fluffy characters, which I think is why no one wants her in this role. Those people should go see Rachel Getting Married. I'm betting Christopher Nolan has seen it.
- JL
  
  Good reference. Anyone who doubts her range should definitely see this. I think they all remember her from Princess Diaries and won't admit that they watched it. Or were too homophobic to watch Brokeback Mountain. I was disappointed by that movie, and more than a little bit bothered by the amount of gayness actually illustrated in the movie, but the acting was actually pretty good.
Judasbarronx1

This will be a nice early birthday gift *Sniff*
The Batman

SCOOP!! EW says Gordon Levitt is not playing Alberto Falcone http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/21/joseph-gordon-levitt-dark-knight-rises/
doc lu

I wanted Nolan to surprise us and give us JGL as Nightwing, who is very badass, so technically, we would've seen no robin. but still, im interested to see how this turns out
Ross

hmmm, the plot thickens. Please no Robin
Jdunnican

I honestly think he would have made a great Riddler, I've been saying this since august and I stand by it.
Richard okewole

I love all the 'established filmmakers' that make comments on this site. Hathaway will be fine, do you remember how Heath ledger got crucified when he first got cast as Joker... I'm sure no one remembers that anymore!