The Dark Knight Rises to feature a female Robin? Why it might not be so crazy.

On the same day Joseph Gordon-Levitt signed on to Christopher Nolan's final Batman film, there came word that Juno Temple(Year One, Kaboom) was also in talks for a role as a "street-smart Gotham girl". No big deal. Temple is a fast rising star, one who I think would be a great addition to the cast.  No real need to speculate on who she'd play, right? I mean, with Hardy, Hathaway, and even Gordon-Levitt, we were provided absolutely zero information at all before their characters were revealed.  Chances are Temple would merely be exactly as described, a "street smart Gotham girl". Period.

And then Hercules over at Aint It Cool News had to blow people's minds with this little brainblast...

"The same story in Variety suggests 21-year-old British actress Juno Temple (“Year One,” “Greenberg”) is being sought to play a “street-smart Gotham girl.” When we last saw Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon she was still pretty tiny, so my suspicion is they might be casting something akin to a female Robin."

All suspicion, folks. But what have I been getting asked about all day? Juno Temple as Robin. While I have my doubts of Robin appearing in the film, I have to admit there's an angle that would fit squarely with Nolan's vision.  Follow me for a sec.

Nolan's Batman movies so far have dealt very strongly with the idea of familial legacy. Bruce Wayne's father was a prominent citizen in Gotham City, who used his power and influence to try and make it a better place.  He was killed while trying to protect his family, and his death helped save Gotham from itself. Bruce essentially picks up the mantle left behind by his father. We're seeing that same father/son theme being revisited with Carmine and Alberto Falcone.

What does this have to do with Robin? At the tail end of The Dark Knight, during the whole Commissioner Jim Gordon stuff, we're introduced to his family. His wife Barbara; his son, James Jr., and an unnamed daughter. In the comics, Gordon's daughter is Barbara Gordon, otherwise known as Batgirl. A crime fighting vigilante of her own, she's basically been raised with the guidance and knowledge of two "fathers": her own, and of course Batman. It would only take a few tweaks for Nolan to make that character Robin, or he could just stick to calling her Batgirl if he wanted, but her story fits in nicely with his established theme.

And there's no denying that Juno Temple looks an awful lot like the female Robin, Stephanie Brown, who currently kicks Gotham City ass as....Batgirl!

All that said, I don't think we'll be seeing Batgirl, Robin, Batwoman, or any other costumed sidekicks. There are already enough characters to juggle around. Nobody wants The Dark Knight Rises to end up looking like Batman Returns, do they?