Exclusive: Christopher Nolan's longtime casting director John Papsidera must have seen "Apollo 13" recently, as veteran character actors Brett Cullen and Chris Ellis are set to round out the ensemble of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' tentpole "The Dark Knight Rises."
Cullen will play a judge, while Ellis will play a priest.

Duo joins Matthew Modine, Tom Conti, Joey King, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff and Burn Gorman as newcomers to the superhero franchise. All of their castings were first reported by Variety.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is skedded for release on July 20, 2012.

Cullen, best known for his recurring role as an Other on ABC's "Lost," recently played Nicolas Cage's father in "Ghost Rider" and Dakota Fanning's father in "The Runaways." Thesp will soon be seen as Chris Hemsworth's dad in "Red Dawn," and also co-stars in the upcoming Fox 2000 release "Monte Carlo."

Ellis is no stranger to working with A-list directors, having appeared in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can," Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" and Michael Bay's "Transformers."

Cullen is repped by Domain Talent and Lovett Management, while Bauman, Redanty & Shaul reps Ellis.