The group responsible for the Sweded trailer for The Avengers are back, with the other of 2012's two huge superhero flicks: The Dark Rises!

It's shaping up to be a weekend full of superhero movie promotion, as yesterday's Amazing Spider-Man poster is followed by this image of Bane, doing a victory walk away from a Broken Bat in The Dark Knight Rises. Now if only he can muster the strength to also speak intelligibly, we might just have a hit on our hands here!

The viral marketers behind The Dark Knight Rises have released these two documents online, purporting to be from the CIA, and pertaining to Dr. Leonid Pavel, played by Alon Abutbul. This is the first time that I've seen Abutbul's character mentioned by name, I believe that he is a new addition to the Batman-verse as I'm unfamiliar with him and I'm a big Batman guy. Based on what we've seen in leaked information from DKR to date, it's clear that there are plot points that differ quite a bit from Bane's story in the comics, and that involve Russia and nukes, and these documents would appear to tie into that.

Warner Bros. has confirmed that a prologue to The Dark Knight Rises will screen ahead of IMAX presentations of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, starting December 16. Here's the full press release, with more details and a list of theaters in North America and the U.K. that will host the six-minute intro to Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman movie.

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.”

Pictured above is Christian Bale in full Batman attire, as he appears in The Dark Knight Rises. Below we see Tom Hardy as Bane , and in addition to the two previously seen Empire magazine covers - one each featuring Batman and Bane - is a third, darker Bane variant cover, available only to subscribers. Take a look, and let me know what you think!

Christian Bale has confirmed that The Dark Knight Rises will be the last time we see him take up the mantle of the Bat, and in fact he has removed the Batsuit for the final time.

Speaking to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he said:

“I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I’m taking that cowl [Batman hood] off. I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. It’s me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era.”

Pictured above is our first official look at Christian Bale's Batman as he appears in Christopher Nolan's third and find Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Batman and Bane (Chris Hardy, below) each star on a variant cover of Empire, revealing little and raising questions. Like what exactly is that weapons Batman is holding? Seriously, anyone want to speculate? Comments are open, hit me up with your thoughts.

Every hero has a journey. Every journey has an end. Christopher Nolan returns to complete the epic Gotham trilogy that launched with Batman Begins and reached the stratosphere with the billion-dollar blockbuster The Dark Knight. Batman is now hunted by the law led by his friend Commisioner Gordon for taking the blame of Harvey Dent's murders and protecting his reputation. He must quickly deal with the arrival of new villain Bane who is bent on the destruction and chaos of Gotham City, face old wounds and get a handle on the enigmatic Selina Kyle before his city is lost for good.

"Hyuk, hyuk! Lookit, it's them underpants what ladies wear on their girl-parts!"

A shot of Matthew Modine from the set of  The Dark Knight Rises, making a derp face and showing off someone's panties. Any chance this scene was written by Judd Winick? Maybe Scott Lobdell?

So much for those rumors that The Dark Knight Rises would be filming scenes from Occupy Wall Street. No, industrialist Bruce Wayne went in about as opposite a direction as imaginable, shooting scenes today at Trump Tower, standing in for Wayne Enterprises.

Check out some photos from the shoot below, as filming continues on Christopher Nolan's final movie in his epic Batman trilogy. We get to see Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and as we've come to expect from these movies, a sweet looking car!