Rumored for some time, Warner Bros. has officially confirmed that their upcoming Christopher Nolan bat-finale, The Dark Knight Rises, will receive a special prologue before select IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol beginning December 16th. Details of the event are listed below in the official press release along with a list of the 42 locations that will be offering the six-minute opening: Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” — the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy — is one of the most anticipated films of 2012, but moviegoers won’t have to wait until next year to see the six-minute opening sequence of the film. The film’s prologue will be unveiled exclusively in select 70mm IMAX® theatres worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. The Prologue will be released in North America on December 16, and in the UK on December 21, 2011. Additional international dates vary by territory and will be announced soon. In making the 2008 blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” Nolan was the first to use IMAX® cameras in a major motion picture release, and, as now, audiences were given an advance look at that film’s prologue months prior to the Summer 2008 opening. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on “The Dark Knight Rises”—including the film’s prologue—to achieve unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for the moviegoers. Christopher Nolan stated, “Our experience on ‘The Dark Knight’ shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring. The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.” Following is a list of the theatres in North America in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 16th: Market - Theatre - City Austin, TX - IMAX Theater Austin - Austin Boston, MA - Jordan’s IMAX - Natick Boston, MA - IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading - Reading Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 - Calgary Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC - Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX - Chantilly Chicago, IL - Navy Pier IMAX Theatre - Chicago Des Moines, IA - SCI IMAX Dome Theater - Des Moines Detroit, MI - Henry Ford IMAX - Dearborn Edmonton, AB - Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton - Edmonton Harrisburg, PA - Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts - Harrisburg Houston, TX - Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX - Houston Indianapolis - White River IMAX - Indianapolis Los Angeles, CA - Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX - Irvine Los Angeles, CA - RAVE 18 + IMAX - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA - Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX - Ontario Los Angeles, CA - Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX - Universal City Madison, WI - Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX - Fitchburg Miami, FL - AutoNation IMAX - Fort Lauderdale Minneapolis, MN - Great Clips IMAX - Apple Valley Montreal, QC - Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal - Montreal Nashville,TN - Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX - Nashville New York, NY - Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX - New York New York, NY - Palisades IMAX - West Nyack Omaha, NE - Star Cinema 16 with IMAX - Council Bluffs Orlando, FL - Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX - Orlando Ottawa, ON - Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX - Gloucester Palm Springs - Desert IMAX Theatre - Cathedral City Philadelphia, PA - IMAX & the Tropicana - Atlantic City Philadelphia, PA - Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute - Philadelphia Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX - Tempe Providence, RI - Providence Place 16 with IMAX - Providence Quebec City, QC - IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec - Quebec City Sacramento, CA - Esquire IMAX - Sacramento San Antonio, TX - IMAX at RiverCenter - San Antonio San Francisco, CA - Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX - San Francisco Seattle, WA - Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center - Seattle Tampa, FL - Museum of Science and Industry - Tampa Toronto, ON - Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX - Mississauga Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX - Toronto Toronto, ON - Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX - Woodbridge-Vaughan Vancouver, BC - Colossus Langley + IMAX - Langley Vancouver, BC - Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX - Richmond Below is a list of the theatres in the UK in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 21st: UK - BFI London - London UK - National Media Museum IMAX - Bradford UK - Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema - Glasgow UK - Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks - Manchester Opening on July 20, 2012, “The Dark Knight Rises” features an international all-star cast, led by Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) in the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Reprising their roles from both “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) plays Lucius Fox. Nolan directed “The Dark Knight Rises” from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull are the executive producers, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight Rises” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman created by Bob Kane. “The Dark Knight Rises” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The prologue has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “some violence.” Read more movie news and watch trailers at Maumau Web TV's blog posts or watch The Best Free movies on its 11 great channels.