Josh Pence (The Social Network) has been cast to play Ra's Al Ghul in flashback sequences in The Dark Knight Rises. Liam Neeson played the character in Batman Begins, but it is said the flashbacks take place 30 years ago, so it only makes sense to cast a younger actor...
Josh Pence, who played opposite Armie Hammer as Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network (where Hammer's face was superimposed on his), has been cast as a young Ra's Al Ghul in Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie.
The movie's casting has been ultra-secret, although Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman are returning to lead a caped crusading cast, which includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard.
The story line has also been kept locked up in the Batcave but Pence's casting throws more than a few crumbs to follow. Ra's Al Ghul was played by Liam Neeson in Batman Begins, thus paving the way for a possible return of the supposedly dead character. Also, while the studio never confirmed Cotillard's character, it has been rumored to be that of Thalia Al Ghul, the daughter of Batman's mentor-turned-enemy.
Sources say Pence will appear in scenes that take place 30 years prior to the present story.
Pence, repped by Innovative Artists and Industry Entertainment, recently wrapped Battleship, Universal's big-budget action movie based on the board game, and indie political thriller The Algerian.
Thanks to THR for the scoop.