At this point in the lead-up to "The Dark Knight Rises," the idea of Marion Cotillard playing Talia Al Ghul is more or less a foregone conclusion. Let's review the evidence. Joey King revealed in an interview that she would play "Young Talia Al Ghul," and typically, you don't slap "young" onto a character name unless there's an "old" version. Secondly, Liam Neeson has been confirmed to reprise his role of Ra's Al Ghul, with Josh Pence playing the younger version. Then there's this SPOILER-y picture.
We rest our case.
But wait! In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cotillard claimed that Miranda Tate is not, in fact, Talia Al Ghul, daughter of Ra's. According to Cotillard, Tate is just a nice woman who "is fascinated by Wayne Enterprises. They go through difficulties, and she wants to help provide the world clean energies," she said. "She's a good guy."
As a follow-up, the reporter asked if Tate stays as "good" as Cotillard says she is, and the actress answered simply. "Yes."
So what else does Cotillard tell us about this so-called Miranda Tate? The French actress said that the role is "very, very, small," and that Nolan was willing to work with Cotillard's schedule to get her in the film. "'I'm writing now and nothing is impossible,'" she recalled Nolan telling her. "'We don't know where we are shooting, and I'll try to make it work.'"
For now, the burden of proof is now on Cotillard and Nolan, but in the game of movie secrecy, it's rare for a filmmaker or actress to outright deny a rumor that ends up being true. (Whedon and Feige skirted the Skrulls issue on a technicality.)
So what do you think? Do you take Cotillard at her word? Will an adult Talia Al Ghul make an appearance in "The Dark Knight Rises"? Let us know what you think in the comments below and on Twitter!