More The Dark Knight Rises news, everyone – and this time it’s a bit more substantial. First, we’ve got some more bright and shiny new photos that have been leaked from the shooting in India, and a supposed eyewitness report of the actual shooting to go with them. Even more interesting, however, is the news of an unexpected new cast member.
Yay! More giant holes in the ground! As you may recall, however, these pits are rumored to be Lazarus Pits, which makes them considerably more interesting. Also worth noting is Josh Pence’s presence in the last photo, mainly because it was previously believed that Christian Bale would be the only actor attending the India shoot. Considering Josh Pence’s role as a young Ra’s al Ghul, I would say this is some pretty solid evidence for the Lazarus Pit theory.
Another new rumor about the nature of the pits has stemmed from an eyewitness report describing a scene in which “a bald-headed child wearing ragged clothes emerges from the well and pulls his hood over his head.” At the moment, most people are assuming that the “bald-head child” in question is a young Bane (and sadly not Caillou or Aang, my personal favorites when comes to bald-headed children) getting Venom’d by Ra’s al Ghul – Venom being the substance that makes Bane so disgustingly muscular. Thus far, I’d say I’m fairly wary of this report’s reliability, although I kind of like the idea of it.
And the news you’ve all been waiting for: TDKR’s newest cast member is Alon Aboutboul (I know him from that one episode of Fringe, but he’s also been on NCIS and Castle). According to Xnet, Aboutboul will be playing a mad scientist of sorts. Naturally, this has once again rejuvenated the Hugo Strange rumors, which I must admit seem much more plausible now. This news, in combination with the new pictures and possible plot details, also sheds some more light on what Bane’s origins may be, seeing as in the comics the scientist who first administered Venom to him bore a striking resemblance to Hugo Strange.
 |
| Bane lookin' all nasty and shit. Kids, this is why you shouldn't do drugs. |
 |
| Alon Aboutboul and Dr. Hugo Strange as seen in the upcoming Arkham City game. |
At this point, TDKR seems to be chock full if villains. We’ve got Bane, Catwoman, a mad scientist, and a young Ra’s al Ghul all confirmed, not to mention the still-persistent rumors of Marion Cotillard as Talia al Ghul. Hell, all we know about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character so far is that he’s a cop – for all we know John Blake could be obsessed with hunting down the now-wanted Batman or something. I’m a bit concerned that this abundance of villains will bog the film down, but then, I have immense faith in Nolan and his ability to make this work.
