Rumor: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Black Mask in The Dark Knight Rises?

Another day, another Joseph Gordon-Levitt Batman rumor. After conflicting reports over the identity of the character he'd be playing in The Dark Knight Rises, there really were only two sources left to tap for the most reliable info: Batman News and Batman-On-Film.  The problem is, those sites have now only added fuel to the fire.

When it was revealed that Gordon-Levitt would be Alberto Falcone in the film, Batman-On-Film posted this statement...

I had heard JGL was definitely playing ONE of the following characters: Black Mask or Alberto Falcone. Honestly, I REALLY thought he was going to be Black Mask and I wasn’t too thrilled about it. I did figured [sic] one of these was a red herring and I’m glad the decoy was [Black Mask] and not Alberto. Really, I thought he was going to be Black Mask and I’m glad I was wrong!

But now that there's some doubt, Batman News went back to that original statment and discovered every reference to the Black Mask has been replaced by "XXXXX XXXX".

Interesting? Yes. Does it prove anything? No. Just something to think about. Batman-On-Film does tend to grab the best scoops on anything and everything Bat-related, so it's possible they don't want to spoil the big announcement. Or it could just be one big mistake. Doubtful, but possible. Again, Warner Brothers is playing everyone like a banjo on the set of Deliverance.

Black Mask, aka Roman Sionis, was the son of wealthy socialites and friends/rivals of the Waynes. Roman was forced to become friends with Bruce as a child, even though his parents hated them. When he grew up, Roman murdered his parents and inherited their fortune, eventually becoming both a cult leader and Gotham City crimelord.