Audiences Will Be Treated to the Opening Six-Minute Prologue of "The Dark Knight" - Only in IMAX.

BURBANK, Calif. -- Fans will not have to wait until next summer to get their first glimpse of Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Dark Knight," the much-anticipated sequel to "Batman Begins." The opening six-minute prologue of the film, which introduces Heath Ledger as The Joker, will be shown in its entirety in IMAX 2D exclusively in select IMAX([R]) theatres nationwide; it will run before the new sci-fi actioner "I Am Legend," opening on December 14, 2007. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution.

The release of the opening six minutes of the movie marks the world premiere of the first footage ever shot with extremely high resolution IMAX([R]) cameras for a major motion picture release. In an unprecedented move, director Christopher Nolan employed IMAX cameras for a number of sequences in "The Dark Knight."

Nolan stated, "I've always found the IMAX format to be completely astounding in terms of the crispness and clarity of the image and sound, as well as the sheer size and scope. I knew that if you could shoot scenes of a feature film in that format--not just blow up a 35mm film to fit those screens but actually to shoot with IMAX cameras--you could achieve an incredibly immersive experience. No one had ever done it before, but with a lot of careful preparation by our director of photography, Wally Pfister, and the help of the IMAX technicians, the results are beyond our expectations. When you watch the finished product, it's like being on an amazing roller coaster. It's literally larger than life."

Opening nationwide on July 18, 2008, "The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne. In the new film, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.

The film also stars Academy Award winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred; Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") as arch-villain The Joker; Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Aaron Eckhart as District Attorney Harvey Dent; Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") as Lucius Fox.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, "The Dark Knight." Nolan is directing the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan are producing the film, with Kevin De La Noy, Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan serving as executive producers. "The Dark Knight" is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

"The Dark Knight" will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. "The Dark Knight Prologue" has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense violent content.