*Possible Spoiler!* Has Marion Cotillard's character in The Dark Knight Rises been revealed?

Ever since she was first rumored to be part of The Dark Knight Rises, Marion Cotillard's presence has only meant one thing to me: Talia Al-Ghul. The daughter of Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul from Batman Begins, Talia is the leader of the League of Shadows and a major thorn in Batman's side. This being a Christopher Nolan joint, what Cotillard's role actually is has been shrouded in secrecy, even though there have been little clues and rumors pointing in that general direction.


I first read this yesterday morning (via i09) but wasn't sure what to make of it, and now it's getting some traction. A recent profile of young actress Leilah de Meza in the Surrey Commet includes a quote from her mother about passing up a role in The Dark Knight Rises, and that the role was for a "young Talia al Ghul". She went on to add that they turned it down because of the demand she cut all her hair off, and they didn't want it to effect her socially at such a young age. Respectable. I'm assuming Joey King(Ramona & Beezus) took over the role at that point.

Now, Cotillard has repeatedly denied the assertion that her Miranda Tate character is Al Ghul in disguise, but  what else is she going to say? It makes perfect sense for Nolan to want to bookend his trilogy with Batman's first major enemy coming back to haunt him. And this whole series has very much been about paternal legacy, and this would fit neatly into that idea. If you'll recall, there have been reports of Liam Neeson coming back to play Ra's Al Ghul in some capacity, likely in flashback and possibly as part of Bane's origin.

To me this is pretty solid stuff, and it clears up what to me is one of the few remaining questions about the film. We should be seeing a new trailer in just a matter of days, plus the 6-minute prologue, which should make things even clearer. The Dark Knight Rises opens next year on July 20th.