It wasn’t exactly a huge leap of the imagination to see Inception cast members Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard follow Christopher Nolan for his final Batman film.

Now the conjecture and speculation which span off the rumoured casting, Alberto Falcone and Talia al Ghul being the popular choices, have been corrected or confirmed by the WB press release. Neither of the roles revealed today come from the comic book as far as I can find.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a beat cop who works under Commisioner Gordon on a ‘special duty’ while Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, who is described as,

a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham

So, that’s the perfect place for someone like Talia al Ghul to insinuate herself into to wreak all sorts of expensive pyrotechnic havoc. Although this would mean that there’s yet another villain in the mix and like Tom Hardy’s Bane and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman she is new to the trilogy and will have her narrative arc helped by the events of Batman Begins, but will still have to have her story done by journey’s end.

Here’s the official press release from Deadline,

BURBANK, CA, April 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have joined the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham. Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon. The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the award-winning blockbuster “Inception.”

The director stated, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Heading the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The main cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane. Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.