The Dark Knight Rises: Joey King Reveals Her Character; Toy Gives Us the Real Name of Batman's New Vehicle (SPOILERS)
Posted 01.21.12 by BrentJS
Some new information about The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR), one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2012 — and reigning trailer download champ — has just come to light courtesy of two rather unlikely sources: Joey King, the teen actress who has long been connected to the movie in an unspecified role, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In a recent interview with MyEntertainmentWorld, the 13-year-old Ramon and Beezus star revealed the character that she will play in director Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman movie, which could be more telling about the plot of the movie than the young actress probably realized at the time. And, an FCC filing by HotWheels for toys based on the movie has finally given us a name to call that weird flying Bat-Wing thingee that has been the cause of no small amount of buzz since the first "spy" photos and videos of it in action leaked online last year.
After gushing about her experience making the movie and working with Nolan and title star Christian Bale, King revealed that she will be playing the "young" version of one of the most important characters in the Batman mythos, a character that has never before been seen on the big screen.
It was so cool, I had an amazing time. I got to travel to places I’d never been to before. Christopher Nolan is so nice, so is Christian Bale. I just had the best time.
I play young Talia al Ghul. I can’t give too much away because I promised Mr. Nolan I wouldn’t say anything. There are too many secrets about the character and the movie.
BAM! Talia al Ghul, the daughter of one of Batman's most dangerous villains, the nigh-immortal Ra's al Ghul who (as played by Liam Neeson) plagued Batman in Batman Begins and will be making a return appearance in TDKR (courtesy of Josh Pence). In the (pre-New 52!) comic books published by DC Comics, Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne/Batman have a torrid affair that results in the birth of Damian Wayne, a self-important and violent little snot who eventually becomes Robin (again, pre-New 52!).
What's really curious about King's reveal is that she called herself the "young Talia al Ghul," implying that another actress wil be the "old Talia al Ghul." For months, fans who saw the photos of actress Marion Cotillard dressed in military garb and climbing into a militarized Tumbler (Nolan's version of the Bat-mobile) have speculated that the French acress is actually playing Talia al Ghul and that "Miranda Tate" is simply a cover identity so that she can infiltrate Wayne Enterprises to steal, among other things, said Tumbler. King's reveal also makes it seem far more likely that Pence is actually playing the younger Ra's, rather than a mystically rejuvenated version of the character as some have speculated, which makes more sense in the context of the more grounded Batman universe that Nolan has created.
In other TDKR news, WirelessGoodness spotted an FCC filing by HotWheels for several toys based on the new movie. Included in the assortment of remote control toy vehicle schematics are the "Tumbler," "Bat-Pod" and "The Bat," which appears to be the real name of the flying assault vehicle that everyone has been calling the "Bat-Wing" ever since they were first spotted buzzing over the set of the movie.
Finally, here's a little Bat-bonus: a fan-edited trailer for TDKR comprised of footage from Batman: The Animated Series and other DCU cartoons!
Next Showing: The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20