Update: So, was Variety wrong? Entertainment Weekly reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will not play Alberto Falcone (a.k.a. the Holiday Killer). Which site do you believe? Probably time to let more casting speculation begin.
It looks like Christopher Nolan is going totally new-school in his approach for the villains in “The Dark Knight Rises.” With Tom Hardy set to play Bane, word has surfaced about the recently confirmed Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s role in the upcoming film.
Variety reports that Gordon-Levitt is set to play Alberto Falcone aka The Holiday Killer, an intriguing choice given that the character only appears in the graphic novels “The Long Halloween” and “Batman: Dark Victory.” That said, he does fit into the world of Gotham established by Christopher Nolan. The son of mobster Carmine Falcone (played by Tom Wilkinson in “Batman Begins”), Alberto murders a number of prominent Gotham mobsters on holiday dates across a year (hence his name). His weapon of choice is a .22 with taped handle, serial number filed off and a baby bottle nipple silencer. Storywise, the move makes sense since with Batman now on the run and Harvey Dent dead, we could only presume that Captain Gordon will have his hands full as the criminal enterprises begin to reassert their power in Gotham. Alberto is sort of the runt of the crime family — not unlike Fredo Corleone — who wants to help in the business but is refused by his father who wants him to live a normal life. So much for that.
However, nothing is 100% just yet. Recently, Gary Oldman revealed that one of the villains would be “from one of the old, old, from way back from the old comics” — neither of which Bane or The Holiday Killer are. Of course, he might be talking about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman (though recent reports suggest she’ll be an ally/love interest instead of a baddie). So either Oldman was wrong or was spinning some disinformation. And of course, there’s Two-Face who is a classic villain and Aaron Eckhart continues to be coy about his involvement — he recently told us “Harvey Dent is dead” leading some to rejoinder that it means Two-Face is alive — although last year it was reported that Christopher Nolan told him directly he would not be in the film.
So still lots of unknowns about the picture that will be gearing up to shoot soon, such as Juno Temple‘s role as a “street-smart Gotham girl.” “The Dark Knight Rises” opens on July 20, 2012.
