FIRST LOOK: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Teaser Poster Released

The success of 2008's The Dark Knight, the latest contribution to the Batman franchise, has inspired production company Warner Bros to start advertising for the next installment over a year before the projected release date of the film, July 20, 2012. The first official teaser poster for The Dark Knight Rises has been released for the Christopher Nolan-directed project, featuring the famous Batman insignia in the sky, bordered by an upward shot of towering skyscrapers.

If not for the bat-shaped slice of sky peeking through, the poster could just as easily herald a sequel for Inception, which was also, incidentally, a Nolan film. If the teaser is making you nostalgic for the dream world of Inception, however, don't fear. Most of the cast from the last summer's blockbuster have made it into The Dark Knight Rises, too. Nolan brought Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Tom Hardy onto the project to stand alongside Dark Knight mainstays Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Christian Bale.

It is also rumored that Warner Bros. will release the first teaser trailer for the new Batman extravaganza at the opening of the final Harry Potter film, according to MTV. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will hit theaters on Friday.