JGL to Play Gangster Alberto Falcone

According to beehivecity it's purely speculation now, but it appears JGL will play Alberto Falcone, the estranged son of deposed Gotham gangster Carmine Falcone from 'Batman Begins.'

You might remember Carmine as the man who "invented" the Bat signal:

How to know you've hit rock bottom in your criminal career: A vigilante dressed as a flying mammal beats up your goons and straps you to a police search light.

Even though it's still just a rumor, I'm going to go ahead and stamp this news tidbit as 100% Grade A correct. It was doubtful, if not improbable, that Levitt would have played Dick Grayson/Robin as Nolan has insisted many a time the Boy Wonder would not make an appearance in his films. And Hugo Strange was out also on account of the older age of the character.

So, it's likely that Levitt will play a minor but nonetheless threatening gangster in 'Rises.' I doubt he'll see much more screen time than Sal Maroni did in 'Dark Knight.' What's interesting, though, is that with the addition of Levitt as a new gangster, we get somewhat of a glimpse of the potential plot. It sounds like in the wake of Joker's apprehension and with Batman on the run from law enforcement, the Gotham criminal underworld will rush to fill the leadership void. Remember, Gambol and his goons are gone, and most of Maroni's men, and Maroni himself, were killed or incapacitated in 'Knight.' This leaves Alberto Falcone the chance to reassert his namesake's dominance, while perhaps having to battle Bane or other gangsters.

Or, Alberto could simply be on a one man crusade to kill the man who imprisoned his father. And Bane could be a hired killer, a lone wolf type. And how does Catwoman figure into all of this? We should find out more answers in the coming weeks as more roles are cast and we get a more definitive plot from Nolan. Stay tuned.

No Robin. No Way. No How

"Geepers Batman, you'd think Joel Schumacher would have killed any possibility of me appearing in your movies ever again."

Fresh on the heels of news that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will join the growing cast of 'Dark Knight Rises' is the rumor that the almost-winner of Zooey Deshanel's heart will play the Boy Wonder, aka Robin, aka Mr. Totally Unnecessary to the Batman Trilogy. Via wilx:

According to Eaton County and Grand Ledge officials who didn't want to be identified due to confidentiality agreements, production crews from "The Dark Knight Rises" scouted locations in Grand Ledge's Fitzgerald Park last week. They looked at the Ledges as well as a water treatment plant located inside the park. Sources say the area is being considered as a hideout for Batman sidekick Robin.

No. A thousand times no. Nolan has said before that he has no interest in including the yellow and red sidekick in his Batman films. Whatever character is possibly being discussed here, or whatever misinformation is being passed on here, this is almost certainly not about the traditional Robin we know from the comics or the Animated Series.

However, this could be a Nightwing type character that has fashioned himself (or herself, who knows) on Batman's style, and has taken it upon himself to protect Gotham while Bats is on the run. Remember, in 'Dark Knight' we witnessed several "Copy Bats" in the beginning, who were underwhelmingly only dressed in hockey pads. So, this could be some type of wannabe-vigilante, or maybe even a character who fancies himself Batman's sidekick.

Whatever this rumor is, if it's anything, it's not The Robin that we all know and (maybe) love. With Catwoman and Bane as villains, Batman will sure need some help, but I will doubt it will come in the form of Dick Grayson.

If this website were snopes, I'd file this rumor with a big red "FALSE" button alongside it. My guess is we will see vigilantes yes, but no actual, official Boy Wonder sidekick.