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Actors Added To Cast Of Batman 'The Dark Knight Rises'

PITTSBURGH,None — More actors have been added to the cast of director Christopher Nolan's third and final chapter in the "Batman" trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises," set to film in Pittsburgh.

According to reports, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff and Burn Gorman have joined the cast, and Nestor Carbonell, who played the mayor of Gotham City in "The Dark Knight," is in negotiations. Gordon-Levitt is expected to play John Blake, a Gotham City cop. See & Be Seen checked out IMDB.com, and Gordon-Levitt, Klattenhoff and Carbonell are on the cast list.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is rumored to begin production in a couple of weeks and is expected to spend four to six weeks filming in Pittsburgh, which will stand in for Gotham City. The production could also travel to New York City, London and India.

Rumors began swirling in February that the next "Batman" movie would film scenes in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Film Office recently confirmed the rumors.

"A franchise as prestigious as 'Batman' opens our region up to an entirely new audience as filmmakers and studio executives experience southwestern Pennsylvania," said Film Office Director Dawn Keezer.

Already set to star Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Christian Bale returning as the Caped Crusader, the film is also said to be welcoming 2008 Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. She's rumored to play Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member. The "Le Parisien" newspaper reported that Cotillard, who is expecting a baby in April, signed onto the "Batman" project earlier this year in Paris.

The movie would reunite Cotillard with her "Inception" director Nolan and costars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Others in the cast include Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman.

This will be Nolan's first film in southwestern Pennsylvania. The filmmaker said he chose Pittsburgh for its great architecture and diversity of locations.

"Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. We have been able to find everything we were looking for here and I am excited to spend the summer in Pittsburgh with our final installment of Batman," Nolan said.

Reports suggest the movie will begin shooting at London's Elstree Studios in mid-June and then move on to locations in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles this summer. Filming is expected to wrap in New York in November, with the picture's release set for July 20, 2012.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming the Batman film to Pittsburgh, and eager for the economic impact that our city will experience," said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "This is another example of the growing film industry in our community and we will be rolling out the red carpet for them."

"Batman" is the third movie to confirm it will film in Pittsburgh since the announcement that the state's new proposed budget includes the film tax credit program, which refunds 25 percent of a film's budget if 60 percent of the production is shot in the state.

"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" and "Still I Rise" are set to begin filming in our area this spring.

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