A Major Spoiler from The Dark Knight Rises that...Most People Already Figured Out

Let me preface this post by stating that if you want to be completely surprised when you go see The Dark Knight Rises DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

Alright you've been properly warned.

Twelve year old actress Joey King was cast in The Dark Knight Rises just under a year ago, however no one really knew who she would be playing. Well this week in an interview with My Entertainment World she dropped a bomb shell. King revealed that she will be playing none other than the young Talia al Ghul.

For those of you unfamiliar with the comic book character or Talia al Ghul I'll give you a short description. Talia is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul (played by Liam Neeson in Batman Begins) and Bruce Wayne/Batman's sometimes foe sometimes lover. (In fact in the Batman comic universe Talia is actually the mother to Bruce Wayne's son Damien--the current Robin.) Now Liam Neeson is supposedly reprising his role in flashbacks for TDKR. There will also be a flashback scene with Josh Pence as a young Ra's al Ghul. I'm assuming that King will probably be involved in these scenes.

So what's the significance of King's disclosure? It really affects the character of Marion Cotillard who plays Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate. Cotillard has repeatedly insisted that she will not be playing Talia al Ghul but with King's news I think we can pretty much put that denial to rest. This sets up an incredibly new dynamic between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Talia. After all Batman, while he didn't kill Ra's al Ghul in the first film, did allow him to die. Does this mean that Cotillard's character will be looking for revenge? The relationship between the two will be complex to say the least.

To be honest this "spoiler" really comes as no shock to me. With Ra's al Ghul part of the storyline and Bane being connected to the League of Shadows, there was little doubt in my mind that Talia al Ghul would show up. There was also little doubt that Cotillard was playing Talia despite her protests to the contrary.

Nevertheless, despite Christopher Nolan's tight lipped approach to plot details, this one slipped out. I hope this doesn't negatively impact King's career or Nolan tries to pull some bullshit lawsuit. I don't get that vibe from him but hey it's Hollywood so you never know. Either way this is great news and makes me want to see the film that much more. (Is that possible?)

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th.