5. It Pretty Much Secures A Spot for JGL
When Joseph Gordon Levitt was announced for The Dark Knight Rises cast, the rumor was that he was playing Roman Sionis, aka "Black Mask". Those rumors were quickly dispelled, but not quickly enough for most of the Internet to have egg on their faces for propagating that false information. (I was one of the guilty, so I have no shame in admitting we were all duped. Properly duped, but duped nonetheless.) However, once he was officially announced as part of the cast, he was given the role of a no-name cop who had no real basis in the comics. Which naturally had everyone wondering, "Who the hell is he really?" Lucky for Chris Nolan, everyone was so hung up on Bane not being Hispanic and Marion Cotillard being (or not being) Talia Al-Ghul that the JGL chatter really fell by the wayside. Which gave everyone the Nolan sucker punch once they realized that that no-name cop was being groomed for greatness: he was being tailored to be the next Dark Knight. Now there's three different ways this possibility could go. One possibility is that Christian Bale, after a coffee and some heavy persuading by WB and Nolan alike, comes back into the world as Batman proper. This isn't a crying shame, as Joseph Gordon Levitt would probably be better suited for a Nightwing-esque role. (You did this to yourself, Nolan...you said the R word, and now you have to live up to it.) Of course, the other possibility is that Bale, tired of being in a physically demanding and almost pigeon-holing role, would want the newly found flexibility of his schedule to continue. This would lead him to reject the role, and ultimately gives JGL the role of Batman proper. Again, nothing to cry over, as he's acquitted himself enough in his limited role during The Dark Knight Rises that he could easily serve as a believable Bats. The final possibility is that Nolan completely disregards his own canon and recasts JGL in another super hero role. While this is the least believable, right next to Nightwing, it still isn't a bad idea. No matter how you slice it, he's ready for this sort of responsibility and DC would be stupid not to secure him against another rumored Marvel offer.