Catch The Prologue Of 'The Dark Knight Rises' In IMAX

If you happened to catch I Am Legend in IMAX four years ago, you may remember being one of the first people to get a glimpse of the opening bank heist scene of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight — and of the late Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance as Joker. This year, beginning on December 16, if you're headed off to IMAX to see Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, a similar holiday wish will come true for you, Warner Brothers has confirmed. The six-minute opening sequence of next The Dark Knight Rises, which won't open until July 2012, will be yours to behold.

In the clip, viewers will get a better look at the enigmatically terrifying villain, Bane, played by Tom Hardy — plus the look and feel of Nolan's darkly imagined Gotham City. “Our experience on The Dark Knight shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring,” Nolan said in a statement. “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.”

But be forewarned: not every IMAX screening is guaranteed to show the clip, because not every IMAX theater is a a 70mm IMAX theater (only 42 North American locations are, EW.com reports). So make sure you do your research before you buy your tickets.

Watch The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer here: