We’re edging closer to July, and that means Warner Bros. will be pumping up the marketing campaign for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises to make sure people are aware of its impending release (I’m sure there’s still a few who remain oblivious).

Today ComingSoon were provided with six very cool new banners for the movie which feature Batman, Bane, Catwoman, and a lot of armed followers.

Below are two international banners:

MTV also confirmed today that new footage will be airing during the 2012 MTV Movie Awards next weekend (from the official press release):

MTV today announced that the “2012 MTV Movie Awards” will feature exclusive footage from Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ highly anticipated film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, with director/writer/producer Christopher Nolan and actors Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman on hand to celebrate the ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy. Hosted by comedian, actor and TV personality Russell Brand, the “2012 MTV Movie Awards” will air live on Sunday, June 3, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California.

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Eight years after The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to the limits, and forcing Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent.

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On Thursday The Avengers passed the $400 million mark and, as promised some time ago, here are the top 10 fastest films to reach that number at the box office in North America, unadjusted for inflation.

Did you know The Avengers is only the 10th film to ever reach $400 million (in a single box office run)? So if you think about it for a second, this is the not just the top 10 fastest to $400 million, it’s the entire damn list. Now for those wondering, The Hunger Games sits at $388.5 million after 56 days and should pass $390 million by the end of the weekend. There is still a good chance that Katniss Everdeen will eventually make her way to $400 million.

10. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) – It took 74 days for this mess to reach $400.1 million, finishing with $402.1 million.

9. Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999) – Only the 2nd film to ever pass the mark in a single theatrical run, The Phantom Menace needed 67 days to make $401.4 million, stopping at $431 million.

8. Spider-Man (2002) – Taking 66 days to reach $400 million, arguably one of the most popular superheroes of all time, Spider-Man ended its run with $403.7 million. This year’s reboot of the series, The Amazing Spider-Man, can only dream of such heights. But crazy things can happen, just look at The Avengers.

7. Titanic (1997) – The highest grossing film of all time for 12 years, Titanic hit $402.5 million in 66 days, closing its initial theatrical run with $600.7 million. Thanks to a 3D re-release back in April this year, the film now sits at $658.4 million.

6. Toy Story 3 (2010) – This animated masterpiece made it to $400 million in 58 days, running out of juice at $415 million.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) – Johnny Depp, pirates, Jerry Bruckheimer, Legolas, Keira Knightley, and a huge Kraken were just some of the ingredients of this Disney blockbuster. It needed 45 days to reach $401.2 million and the film ran out of booty to plunder at $423.3 million.

4. Shrek 2 (2004) – While not exactly on the same level as Toy Story 3 quality-wise, it made a lot of money, and still the highest grossing animated film of all time. This one took 43 days to gross $400.9 million, totalling $441.2 million in the end.

3. Avatar (2009) – This little film made $415 million in 23 days and didn’t stop until $749.7 million during its initial run. Now Avatar, the current highest grossing film of all time (unadjusted for inflation), has made $760.5 million, a number you won’t see beaten for quite some time.

2. The Dark Knight (2008) – While Avatar made the most green, this film is the undisputed king of reaching milestones in record time. Unfortunately that statement is no longer true because there is a new champion in town. Regardless, The Dark Knight made $400 million in 18 days and with a total of $533.3 million it is still the #1 highest grossing superhero film of all time in North America, at least for two more weeks or so.

1. The Avengers (2012) – After an opening weekend of $207.4 million, this film was bound to break more than a few records during its box office run. So it was fastest to $100 million, $200 million, $300 million, and now $400 million in just 14 days. Right now not even the sky seems to be the limit for this superhero juggernaut, ready to win yet another weekend.

With more and more movies making epic amounts of money extremely fast, reaching $400 million is not as hard as it once was and there are definitely a few contenders on the horizon. No matter how you look at it, The Dark Knight Rises will make a lot money, very much guaranteed a top 5 on the chart above. Then there’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Avatar 2 (2015), Avengers 2 (?) which are all very likely to end up on this list in the years to come.

So besides The Avengers, what other film you see making over $500 million next?

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When it comes to a perfect trailer, you need to have a perfect blend of epic action, epic dialogue, epic characters, epic moments, and just plain epicness. The new Dark Knight Rises trailer trumps all of that and earns the “You must stop what you are doing and watch this right now” award.

With more footage and dialogue from Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, as well as an easily heard Bane causing absolute chaos, this is shaping up as the proper Batman finale we deserve AND need. Be warned: you may just forget how excited you where about that other movie about superheroes.

I’m going to shut up now and allow you to pass out from epicness:

Dark Knight Rises hits theatres not soon enough on July 20, 2012.

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Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace has officially joined the very exclusive ranks of movies that passed the $1 billion mark. With $1,000,447,819 worldwide, Phantom Menace is the 11th film to reach this milestone and the first in the Star Wars series.

Before its current 3D re-release, The Phantom Menace had about $926.1 million worldwide but thanks to a strong $74.3 million gathered across the world in this year, the once mythical billion dollar threshold was finally reached. To think that back in 1999 we only had a single film over that mark, Titanic, while today we have 11 and the number is sure to grow fast in the future thanks to 3D and the constant rise of movie ticket prices.

Now The Phantom Menace might not be considered the most worthy of the six Star Wars flicks to reach such heights but realistically speaking, it was the only one with a chance. Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith is a far second with $848.7 million worldwide while the original Star Wars made $775.4 million in third for the series.

Following is the current ranking of the top 11 hits of all time worldwide while also bearing in mind that The Phantom Menace is still making money so it should eventually end up higher.

11. Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999) $1,000.4 million

10. The Dark Knight (2008) $1,001.9 million

9. Alice in Wonderland (2010) $1,024.3 million

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) $1,043.9 million

7. Toy Story 3 (2010) $1,063.2 million

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) $1,066.2 million

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,119.9 million

4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) $1,123.7 million

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) $1,328.1 million

2. Titanic (1997) $1,843.2 million

1. Avatar (2009) $2,782.3 million

With the likes of The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey later this year, which film you think will be next to join the billion dollar club?

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I’ve been trying to stay as spoiler-free as possible for The Dark Knight Rises, but when The Social Network actor Josh Pence was cast as a young Ra’s Al Ghul last year it suggested Liam Neeson’s character from Batman Begins may have an influence on the story.

At the time it was mentioned Pence would be playing Ra’s Al Ghul in flashbacks, and now it appears the villain will be in another set of flashbacks with Neeson reprising the role.

Neeson confirmed he’d shot some scenes while talking to ShowBizSpy:

“I can tell you nothing about Dark Knight Rises, seriously,” says Liam. “I was on set for maybe an hour-and-a-half and the director didn’t tell me anything of what it’s about.

“So, I’m being very honest when I say I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Christopher Nolan likes to keep audiences in the dark until the film hits, but some fans may have already figured out how Ra’s Al Ghul is connected to the third film, and Bane. I’m going to remain willingly oblivious.

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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Bootlegs have been popping up over the weekend but Warner Bros. has today released the second official trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. It begins with Alfred worrying about Bruce and slowly builds, with Selina Kyle warning him “there’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne”. Then chants begin, a football field crumbles, Bane emerges, and the Batwing roars down a Gotham street. We also get brief glimpses at Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman.

Watch below:

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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A Bane-focused prologue for The Dark Knight Rises is currently playing before Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in IMAX and a new trailer is expected to be released soon, but in the meantime Warner Bros. has released a new teaser poster.

The poster, which could foreshadow some unpleasant events in the film, features Batman’s broken mask on the ground, with Bane (Tom Hardy) stood menacingly in the background.

Check out the full poster below, and click to enlarge.

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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A few weeks ago The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan confirmed we’d be seeing a prologue for the film attached to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in IMAX which “is basically the first six, seven minutes of the film. It’s an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film.”

Now Warner Bros. has officially announced the event, along with a list of locations where you’ll be able to catch it.

From SHH:

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.”

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In the latest issue of Empire Magazine The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan spoke about “finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne’s story” in the film, and revealed that Rises picks up 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight (which is a long time, Alfred must be on the verge of retirement).

Tom Hardy also spoke about Bane’s “brutal” and “nasty” fighting style which is “all about carnage”.

Excepts from the article have been posted on Empire‘s site:

“It’s really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne’s story. We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he’s an older Bruce Wayne; he’s not in a great state.

“With Bane, we’re looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn’t had before. With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we’re testing Batman both physically as well as mentally.”

Speaking of physical challenges, what can Tom Hardy tell us about Bane? “He’s brutal. Brutal. He’s a big dude who’s incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It’s not about fighting. It’s about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it’s nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action.”

Costume designer Lindy Hemming also lets drop a few clues to his backstory as she talks about Bane’s look. On the mask, she says, “He was injured early in his story. He’s suffering from pain and needs gas to survive. He can’t survive the pain without the mask. The pipes from the mask go back along his jawline and feed into the thing at his back, where there are two cannisters.”

Nolan also said the prologue which will be attached to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in IMAX “is basically the first six, seven minutes of the film. It’s an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film.” Ghost Protocol hits IMAX on December 16 (5 days before the general release on December 21).

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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Anarchy ensues on the streets of Gotham City, at least that’s what we get out of the recent batch of videos coming from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, now filming in New York. Three videos showing different takes from what looks like an important scene in the movie found their way onto YouTube and thanks to IGN, we have them here for you. As always, if you want to go into The Dark Knight Rises spoiler-free, I recommend you skip this.

In the last video we see Batman going up against Bane in the middle of the street, surrounded by people beating the crap out of each other. SPOILER, if you ask me, it doesn’t seem like he’s winning that fight. Also, with so many extras on the set, this looks really expensive, not to mention they are filming on Wall Street no less. This could end up costing easily $250 million when done. But considering The Dark Knight made over $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. spared no expenses on this one.

There’s also a video showing some photos of Batman and Bane from the set:

Directed by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine and Liam Neeson. Set to open July 20th 2012, The Dark Knight Rises is easily one of the most highly anticipated movies of next year and videos like this only serve to send the hype meter into overdrive.

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