Christopher Nolan really, really liked his Inception cast.  (Somewhere, Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Rebecca Hall, and Hugh Jackman are wondering what they did wrong.)

According to THR’s Heat Vision, Marion Cotillard is in talks to join The  Dark Knight Rises.   Initially, this seemed like fervent fan rumor (like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, she’s been eagerly cast in a number of Bat roles since The Dark Knight) spun by a French newspaper. But it’s now true! Cotillard’s rep confirmed she’s in talks.  The problem may be her advanced state of pregnancy. She’s due in spring, filming begins in summer, and Cotillard isn’t sure she will be ready.

Even more intriguing is that this news confirms those early whispers that there were two women in TDKR — a villain and a love interest.   Nolan has been meeting with other actresses (Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weisz are all mentioned again) for this more passionate part.  Once again, speculation links it to being Talia al’Ghul.

I keep hoping they will work Talia in there — and when Cotillard’s name kept circulating, I thought “How crazy is that, she’s pregnant … hey, can she actually play this pregnant? Batman gets Talia pregnant.”  Obviously, timing isn’t going to line up that well, but I maintain that it’s a good idea.   Considering we see Bruce’s childhood and the birth of Batman in Begins, it would be a beautiful bit of thematic terror if Bruce/Batman found himself a father-to-be, or unknowingly fathered his own successor or destroyer.  Maybe that’s too heavy handed, but we are talking about a franchise that already offered Joker and Two-Face, neither of whom are subtle characterizations even within Nolan’s world.

Still, as exciting as all these cast and character possibilities are, how the hell are  they all going to fit into one movie?  This looks like a 4 hour epic on paper.