It's almost time for the stars of The Dark Knight Rises to start making the rounds for what will inevitably be a huge publicity push, and yet, it's unclear just how much they'll have to talk about. Director Christopher Nolan is still keeping an incredibly tight lid on plot details, to the point that a single tidbit can become a news story-- or, in the case of Marion Cotillard, a single word.
Talking to THR in advance of the Cannes Film Festival, where her film Rust and Bone will debut, Cotillard spoke about how Nolan reworked the script and the schedule on The Dark Knight Rises to accommodate new mother Cotillard, and also a tiny bit about her character Miranda Tate. The information is more in context than in direct quotes from Cotillard, so here's the entire paragraph in question:
Cotillard confirms that, contrary to some fans' belief, she does not play Talia, the vengeful daughter of Liam Neeson's character, Ra's Al Ghul (who also appeared in Batman Begins), and that she takes the role of Miranda Tate, an ecologically minded businesswoman who "is fascinated by Wayne Enterprises. They go through difficulties, and she wants to help provide the world clean energies. She's a good guy." But does she stay that way? "Yes," she insists.
Here's the thing-- no matter how unequivocal that single-word "yes" sounds, we have no real way of knowing if Cotillard is telling the truth. It seems totally plausible that she'd simply lie about the complexities of her character in order to avoid the wrath of Nolan, and particularly to throw us all of the scent of what's long been rumored: that she's playing Talia al Ghul, daughter of Liam Neeson's villainous Ras al Ghul, who has a likely cameo. There's also been casting of a child actress to play a young Talia, plus set photos showing Cotillard in a very Tali-esque outfit. Can all that evidence be overruled by a single "yes"?
It's your call. Personally I'm not ruling anything out, and I'm not really sure I want to anyway-- the mystery is a big part of the fun right now. The Dark Knight Rises comes to theaters soon enough, on July 20, and it's going to be a little unique to not know all that much between now and then.
