Where Does Hugo Strange Fit in The Dark Knight Rises?

Late last year we kicked off a flurry of The Dark Knight Rises rumors with speculation on who the villain would be for Nolan’s third installment.  We now know for sure that both Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will both be involved in the plot, but at the time the popular rumor was that Hugo Strange might make an appearance.  These rumors have since fallen off with the announcement of Bane and Catwoman, as well as additional rumors of Talia Al Ghul, The League of Shadows, and Alberto Falcone.  However, the Hugo Strange rumors ramped back up this past week thanks to My Entertainment World.

An unconfirmed plot synopsis for the next Batman film hit the internet including a plot line for Hugo Strange.  In this synopsis, Dr. Hugo Strange, a villainous psychiatrist, concocts a a plan to destroy Batman and ultimately replace him.  Though Strange will appear as a villain with similar motivations in the upcoming video game Batman: Arkham City, this plot line seems to fit nicely into Nolan’s universe and gives the film a more intellectually formidable villain opposite Batman.  It could also explain Bane’s presence in Gotham as he was created by Hugo in the comics. 

This, however, can never be explained

I’m still not convinced that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard’s characters are as advertised and I think it’s possible Nolan and Co. could be intentionally leading us astray with some of these announcements and/or rumors.  I’d personally like to see Gordon-Levitt play a villain like Strange as opposed to an “ambitious cop”, as Strange appears to be a character with much more depth and importance.  However, we’ve seen villain over-kill in superhero films before so the inclusion of a third opposition to The Dark Knight must be handled with care.

What do you think, is everything “as advertised” with The Dark Knight Rises or are we purposefully being fed false rumors and announcements?  Would you like to see Hugo Strange in this next Batman film given what we already know about Bane and Catwoman?  The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release July 20, 2012.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role in The Dark Knight Rises announced

Coming off a weekend where box office numbers indicate that no one was really interested in the movies (Limitless finished #1 at 19 million), presumeably because the nation has been consumed with March Madness, we transition into the week with some big news coming from the Nolan camp.

Speculation has been swirling since the announcement of Inception star Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the cast of The Dark Knight Rises as to which role he would play in Nolan’s third and final installment to his Batman trilogy.  Worst Previews (aka Variety) is now reporting that JGL will in fact play Alberto Falcone in next summer’s blockbuster.  This casting does not come as a huge shock to those following the film closely, as it was previously reported that Levitt would be playing a villain.

We Can See the Resemblence

Including Alberto Falcone in the next Batman film creates another link back to Batman Begins and further suggests this film to be the concluding chapter in a trilogy.  Alberto’s father, Carmine Falcone, was an antoginist in the first film and was sent to Arkham at the hands of Batman (before being drugged by Scarecrow).  For fans of the comic, Falcone’s role also suggests the story may incorporate parts of The Long Halloween, which features Alberto Falcone as the Holiday Killer, tells the origins of Two-Face (seen in The Dark Knight), and has an appearance from Selina Kyle.

Also referred to as "the long Halloween"

Surely the plot of The Dark Knight Rises will stay under lock and key, likely until a full-length trailer is released for the film.  However, with the casting fully taking shape, Warner Bros. and Nolan are succeeding flawlessly at keeping this the most anticipated film of 2012.