The Dark Knight Rises is one of the most anticipated movies of the year for many reasons, one such reason is the new score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. The previous movie had one of the more subtle, complex and ultimately effective scores for any Super Hero movie ever, so of course anticipation is high for this installment’s music.

While we wait on the upcoming score to be released it can be fun to reflect back on what has come before. A recent YouTube video has popped up with some very interesting revelations about the inspiration for one of the more memorable musical moments from the last film. It appears as if the track ‘Why So Serious’ bears more than a passing resemblance to the score of an early 80′s French film.

Now most people will use this as yet another moment to stand on a pedestal and try to tear down Zimmer as a plagiarizer. Hans Zimmer has a reputation of taking music from his previous films and re-purposing them in future movies, just take a listen to some of the action music in Rango and you will hear more than a little Pirates of the Caribbean.

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The Holiday Season is a great time for films, but on the cusp of one of the more anticipate years in cinema history, it is the trailers for 2012 films that might be the highlight. One film that fans are eagerly awaiting is Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, sequel to the instant classic that took the world by storm in 2008.

The first long form trailer was released a few weeks ago, and now some adventurous do-gooders have taken upon themselves to recreate the magic in their own “sweded” version of the trailer. Complete with action figure action shots, and an ingenious football stadium collapse scene made with paper cut outs.

The sweded trailer is great, but we implore you to check out their youtube channel. There are more sweded trailers for your viewing pleasure and a really interesting side-by-side that plays the sweded trailer next to the original. It is extremely interesting to see it play with the original right next to it, showing how accurate these guys get with their shot construction and timing.

There are also a couple of funny little jabs at the original hidden within the sweded version of the trailer which is part of why these can be so charming. Particularly, the chanting of “que pasa,” golden stuff. You can check out the sweded Dark Knight Rises Trailer after the jump.

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Two of the best filmmakers working today have giant blockbusters planned for 2012. Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott are both bringing continuations of their star making franchises to the big screen. While Nolan is ending his run in the Batman universe with The Dark Knight Rises, Ridley Scott is breathing new life into the dormant Alien franchise with a prequel that may or may not have all that much to do with the previous films.

The Dark Knight Rises poster focuses on Bane walking away from a shattered Batman cowl. This really sells the concept of finality that this film brings. It is also nice to see the filmmakers not shying away from the fact that the character of Bane was created for one purpose, to break the bat.

Prometheus on the other hand is a far more intriguing one-sheet. The large head that dominates the poster raises more questions then can be answered. There are also a lot of small little design choices that echo the fact that this movie is set in the Alien universe. That posters sits rater nicely next to previous Alien films.

Check out both new posters in their full glory after the jump.

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For those who can’t stop talking, reading, or imagining what Chris Nolan’s ultimate film in the Batman franchise will be like, you’ll be in luck on December 16th, as a specific 16 theaters, all 70mm IMAX capable, will be screening a 6-minute Dark Knight Rises prologue attached to the front of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Deadline‘s got the report.

The prologue for The Dark Knight Rises will not screen with digital Imax or regular digital or 35mm film presentations of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Regular, non-Imax versions of Ghost Protocol open December 21. The list of theaters follows. Moviegoers should confirm theaters will be playing the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises before purchasing tickets.

That last note is especially important, because not many theaters may be supporting this, even if they say they will. Be sure to check out the full list after the jump, and find out which theater works for you, and which to skip when seeing Tom Cruise scale a skyscraper.

Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 12, 2012.

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Judging from the box office success of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, quite a few of you have already had the chance to see this brand new teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. However, for those of you who haven’t, or want to watch it again and again, we’ve got it for you right here now.

In it we get our first glimpses of the upcoming final, epic battle between Bruce Wayne’s Batman and Tom Hardy’s Bane. Plus, the teaser sets this up clearly as the third and final chapter of a trilogy that will set Batman on his eventual course to become the true Caped Crusader and Dark Knight.

I don’t have to tell you we’re all pretty excited around here for this movie to come out. Of course, as with endings of this type, it will be bittersweet. Still, can’t wait.

Check out the trailer after the jump. The Dark Knight Rises is directed by Christopher Nolan and features Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It hits theaters on July 20th, 2012.

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As we get ever closer to the release date of Christopher Nolan’s alleged final film in his Batman franchise, we’re getting more and more of a glimpse into this world once again before it comes to a close.

Rumor has it that the first teaser trailer for the film is attached to prints for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which means we may get some goodies in the coming days. But before we even get that far, the very first “teaser” poster for the film has hit the web, and we’re nothing but excited.

In the poster we can see that Gotham seems to be falling to pieces, which is what we expect to be the setting for the film, as Christian Bale’s Batman makes his public turn into the hero he’s meant to become.

No sign of the film’s full cast, but you may see more of Tom Hardy’s Bane, Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or Marion Cotillard in the film’s upcoming teaser trailer later this week.

In the meantime, you can check out the poster in gigantic-size right after the jump, and keep it here for more news as it develops of The Dark Knight Rises.

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It’s kinda funny. I was just watching Rodney Dangerfield and Keith Gordon in Back to School only days ago and now, some Keith Gordon news pops up. Internets, you’re got my number.

And what interesting news it is. It seems Christopher Nolan, who’s only done this one other time with Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel, has decided to shepherd a project and produce a film for another director. That director? None other than keith Gordon. I know, right?

Nolan’s company, Syncopy, has reportedly set up a supernatural thriller at Warner Bros and hired Gordon to write and direct it. Nolan’s former assistant Jordan Goldberg is apparently the guy responsible for bringing the project to Nolan so he can produce with partner Emma Thomas.

The project is reportedly based on a novel who’s title has yet to be revealed. However, knowing the movies Gordon likes to do (Including A Midnight Clear and Mother Night) I would expect it to be something cool and a little weird. As a fan of Gordon’s work, I’ll be following this one closely.

The Social Network was a wonderful film all around, but one of the truly amazing parts of the movie was the dual role played by Armie Hammer. Since Hammer is just one man, another actor had to play opposite him and that faceless hero was Josh Pence. Now, Pence is going to get a chance to stand out on his own because he’s just been cast as Young Ra’s Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises according to THR.

In the comics Ra’s Al Ghul is basically immortal, with access to Lazarus Pits around the world, so he always comes backs to torment the good detective. Batman Begins used the character well, but with the added realism Nolan brought to his Gotham, many people assumed we have seen the last of Ra’s in this series.

Lately rumors have been swirling that The Dark Knight Rises would deal with Ra’s daughter Talia (potentially played by Marion Cotillard) who is a long standing love interest of Batman. Casting a young version of Ra’s seems to add credence to this theory.

Based on the character’s history there is still hope that Liam Neeson can return, but this casting suggests that flashbacks are going to be used to flush out the relationship between Talia and her father. That is, of course, speculation. But one thing is certain, Nolan is throwing a lot into his highly anticipated Bat-climax.

The previous two Nolan Batman films have used the sprawling metropolis of Chicago to fill in for the fictional Gotham City. Chicago was a fine stand in and only required a few CGI touch up shots to sell it as another city.

Despite the success of filming in Chicago in the past, The Dark Knight Rises has been searching for a new stand in city for quite a while. Now, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steel City has now been chosen to represent Gotham.

“Pittsburgh is a beautiful city,”  [Nolan] said in a statement. “We have been able to find everything we were looking for here, and I am excited to spend the summer in Pittsburgh with our final installment of Batman.”

Now obviously this was done for financial and cinematic reasons, but I suspect something else might have played a part in choosing this new city. You see, the local NHL franchise is the Pittsburgh Penguins, so perhaps Nolan is secretly planning on using Mr. Cobblepot in the movie, and filming in Pittsburgh is a clever clue to us vigilante fan boys!

Yes, it just makes to much sense.

Or at least that is what I think I am supposed to say. You are required to put dumb and obviously false speculation at the end of every The Dark Knight Rises story, right?