For some reason, we’ve been covering every fart and burp that comes out of the casting rumor mill for Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. We already know that Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine will be reprising their roles, and we know that Anne Hathaway was cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The latest additions to the cast – Joseph Gordon Levitt and Marion Cotillard – were announced in February and March, although their characters haven’t been confirmed until now. Oh, and we know that Tom Hardy was likely cast as Bane, and SPOILER if you read the comics, you know what casting Bane means for the series. So, many already had a strong feeling that this was going to be the last Batman from the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale pairing. But at this point, the cast has grown so large and there are so many storylines, I don’t see how this is not going to be a really weak, schizophrenic plot. So… would you like to know what roles JGL and Marion have taken? I guarantee that you never considered this junk:

Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have joined the cast of The Dark Knight Rises, the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.

Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham. Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.

The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the award-winning blockbuster Inception.

The director stated, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Heading the cast of The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The main cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane. Josh Pence, who played the body of one of the Winkelvo.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

[From Coming Soon]

So, Marion is going to play a corporate bureaucrat with a philanthropic bent, and JGL is going to play a beat cop. Er…? The idea of Marion, who is in reality a space cadet, an eccentric, crazy, beautiful hot mess of a woman, playing it “straight” as a corporate type is totally bizarre. It’s like… I don’t know, hiring Angelina Jolie to play an insurance saleswoman. Or hiring Sofia Vergara to play a neurosurgeon. It’s an odd casting choice. As for JGL… well, I want to think that this part will be meaty, but I doubt it. It’s probably a pity part.

But yeah, this movie is probably going to have about 30 sub-plots. Ridic.

Photos courtesy of WENN.