Though the summer 2012 release of The Dark Knight Rises seems like it’s ages away, director Christopher Nolan wants to satiate eager fans now by releasing a 6-minute prologue into theatres later this month. The prologue, which will introduce Batman’s latest villain Bane (played by Tom Hardy) to moviegoers, will play in front of select IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol starting Friday December 16. Remember when Warner Bros. showed off the opening bank heist sequence from The Dark Knight in front of the Will Smith-starrer I Am Legend back in 2008? The studio is doing it again with Nolan’s final Batman movie in the Christian Bale-starring trilogy. This is being done for two reasons: one, it’s a great way to publicize the upcoming movie and get people talking about it; and two, the thrill and immersion of the early IMAX experience will make audiences opt for the pricier ticket when the film releases in full next year.

In an interview with EW, Nolan talked about how much his next film was actually shot in 70mm for IMAX. “We shot about twice what we did last time [on The Dark Knight], at least. Last time we were about 25 minutes [in IMAX]. Obviously, I haven’t cut [the rest of The Dark Knight Rises] yet, so I don’t know the exact running time, but I think we’ll be in the 45 to 50 minute range. Basically all the actions sequences, and some of the more large-scale other bits of the film that aren’t necessarily action. We even shot some dialogue scenes and some quite intimate dramatic scenes, which we haven’t done before. And so some of that will make its way into the film.”

I will reiterate that the prologue will only play in front of Mission: Impossible in select IMAX theatres. Look after the break for a listing of the theatres (provided by Deadline) and confirm with theatres that they’re playing it before making a purchase.

Bonus! Check out the brand spankin’ new poster for The Dark Knight Rises above. It features the villainous Bane who seems to have “broken the Bat” just like he does in the comics. The tagline “The Legend Ends” serves as an antithesis to the movie’s title The Dark Knight Rises and so it breathes an air of mystery. Will Batman survive Nolan’s threequel? We shall find out on July 20, 2012. (Download the full-size poster here.)