Warner Bros. finally confirms ‘Dark Knight Rises’ prologue to run with ‘Mission: Impossible 4’

It had been rumored since October, but Warner Bros. has finally confirmed it. Thursday, Warner Bros. confirmed that a six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises will be shown in select theaters before screenings of Paramount’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise.

In October Slash Film first reported that the first six minutes of Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film would be shown before IMAX screenings of the fourth Mission: Impossible film. The site reported that Warner Bros. teamed up with Paramount because the studio has no new IMAX films this holiday season.

Thursday, Warner Bros. issued a statement confirming which theaters in the US and the UK would be showing the prologue, according to ComingSoon.net. A total of 42 theaters will show the prologue starting on Dec. 16 in the US and Dec. 21 in the UK.

Not much is known about what the prologue will show, but it is speculated that it will introduce the film’s villain, Bane, who is played by Tom Hardy. CHUD.com actually uncovered an MPAA bulletin of upcoming films and their ratings that shows The Dark Knight Rises: Prologue as being rated PG-13 for “violence,” and classifying it as a "short subject."

According to MTV News, the statement confirms that Nolan shot the film using IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm, which is why only a limited number of theaters playing Ghost Protocol will show it. Only theaters using true 70 mm IMAX projection for Ghost Protocol will be able to show the prologue.

The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters on July 20, 2012. Christian Bale is returning as Batman, while Anne Hathaway will make her franchise debut as Catwoman. Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have also joined the cast.