The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Christopher Nolan Debuted 6 Minute Prologue

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Some lucky folks got a special invite to see the debut of the 6 minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises, with director Christopher Nolan on hand to introduce.

SuperHeroHype was present and offered up the following. The full prologue can be viewed on December 16th attached to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in select 70mm IMAX theaters.

Introduced by Christopher Nolan himself, the footage was unveiled at Universal City's AMC IMAX and met with rounds of heavy applause. SuperHeroHype was on hand and, while we've been asked to keep the details of the footage relatively light, here's a taste of what you can expect to see next Friday:

Even though the opening shot takes place immediately after The Dark Knight and features Commissioner Gordon speaking at Harvey Dent's funeral (and is shot in 35mm), the footage moves immediately to IMAX and the events that transpire during the hostage situation discussed in the viral documents. There, we're treated to a hostage transfer and the reveal of Bane aboard a private plane and an ensuing fight that takes every advantage of the IMAX frame. Think less The Dark Knight and more Inception or, even closer, an IMAX version of a James Bond film.
 
In his introduction, Nolan stressed the importance of returning filmgoing to the grandeur that it was for him as a child, warning that said scale, "is being chipped away at in all kinds of ways."
 
Though the response from the crowd was overwhelmingly positive, there was much discussion about Bane's voice. Muffled by his mask and featuring a British accent, it's difficult to fully understand exactly what he is saying (but likely intentionally).
 
At the conclusion of the footage, there's a rapid montage of shots, all in IMAX, that feature a lot to excite fans, the most intriguing of which is Bane carrying a shattered half of Batman's mask.
 
"I've barely started to edit the rest of the film," Nolan cautioned with a laugh, "so don't ask me what happens at the end or anything like that."

 

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th, 2012 and is directed by Christopher Nolan starring Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Michael Cain as Alfred, Juno Temple and Josh Pence as a young Ra's al Ghul.

Head on over to the Cosmic Book News The Dark Knight Rises Movie Hub for even more news, trailers and images.