Ten years ago if you told me the Avengers would be one of the highest grossing films of all time, I don’t think I would have believed you. Even when Marvel Studios started pushing out the solo films that would introduce the cast of the Avengers, most people would ask me (being their “comic book” friend) who Captain America, Thor and Iron Man were. For the most part, people knew who the Hulk was because of the cheesy television series and on occasion had at least heard of one of the other members of the team, but if you had asked them if it was a film they were going to be excited to see, most would probably have passed at the opportunity.

Conversely, a decade ago if you had talked to people about a Justice League movie, you probably would have gotten a much higher positive response rate. Just from DC’s Big 3 of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman (even before the Christopher Nolan series of films), people would have cared about the series. Fond memories of Christopher Reeves as the Man of Steel and any of the previous Batman movies were still acceptable enough to get people behind the idea of seeing them all together in one movie. But now, it’s a very different story if someone was going to try to put together a Justice League team movie.

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.

• Charlie Sheen’s big roast on Comedy Central is happening Monday and this new spot starring both Charlie and Martin Sheen is having us buy that it may be pretty funny.

• Apparently, hockey is cool again, between Kevin Smith’s upcoming hockey epic and the first trailer for Sean William Scott’s Goon (not to be confused with the comic), things are looking pretty violent in sports cinema.

• For those who were suckered into watching the series finale of Entourage on Sunday and got the complete lack of an ending that was given, this is how the series should have ended for everyone.

• PSA’s are all the rage these days, so isn’t it about time the web video community started mocking them? We think so, with this PSA about driving recklessly.

Maggie Gyllenhaal certainly loves her sex comedies. Before taking over for Katie Holmes in The Dark Knight, Gyllenhaal was best known for smaller films like The Secretary or 40 Days and 40 Nights in which she was normally the object of sexual affection.

It looks like she’ll be returning to that role in the upcoming period-based sex comedy, Hysteria. The film’s premise isn’t one that we could articulate to you without giggling through the sentence, so we’ll let Vulture do it justice.

Gyllenhaal stars alongside Hugh Dancy and Rupert Everett, who play inventors struggling to come up with the perfect vibrator to use on their female patients, all of whom have been deemed “hysterical”.

From Dark Knight to a film about the invention of the vibrator. Why not? It certainly can’t be any more exposing than the 2004 TV movie titled Strip Search she did, in which she was abused by the ghost-seeing Miles from LOST.

Hysteria hits the Toronto International Film Festival this year, so you can expect to see it hit theaters shortly thereafter.

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.

We love fan films. Especially well done fan films. The constant growth of YouTube and New Media in general has helped fans on both side of the lens come together and enjoy these videos somewhere besides the basement of a comic book store.

With that, we’ve got a brand new fan film by YouTube user TheManBatman compiled several scenes from several Batman films (and many non-Batman flicks as well) and portrayed a story that plays Bruce Wayne as a bit of a lunatic. That makes Batman a figment of his imagination. Here’s what the Man himself has to say about the mash-up.

Here we have a full length theatrical trailer that delves a little deeper into the story behind The Batman Complex. As explained in the teaser, the gist of the idea revolves around a few fun topics, mainly the whole “what is real?” train of thought, and also every fans desire, deep down or upfront, to be Batman at least once in their lives. LOL. And so, I tried to craft a story where we see what happens when someone takes their dream of being Batman a little bit too far. An idea, after all, is a truly resilient parasite.

While some of it is still left a bit ambiguous (both unintentionally and intentionally – while there’s only so much that can be strung together, I often like to leave a little bit open so as to see what fellow fans are able to imagine/create), I believe it offers a bit more than the teaser.

Take a look at the fan film after the jump, and be sure to subscribe to TheManBatman’s channel for more of his upcoming trailer mash ups and fan films.

We’ve heard names like Kevin Costner for Jonathan Kent and Viggo Mortensen for General Zod being thrown around for Zack Snyder’s upcoming reboot of the Superman franchise, but they are not for sure yet. However, we do officially have another name to add to the cast alongside Henry Cavill as the title character. That name? Diane Lane, who is now set to play Clark Kent’s mom, Martha Kent.

The news was broken by THR late yesterday.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures said late Wednesday that the actress is set as “the only mother Clark Kent has ever known.”

“This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman,” Snyder said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination.”

Considering names like Phyllis Thaxter, K Callan, and Eva Marie Saint have played the character in the past, we’re expecting Snyder to take a drastic turn with Martha, as Lane is only 56. Lane is the second name to be cast in the film, after word came in earlier this year that The Tudors star Henry Cavill was to take the lead as the Man of Steel.

Snyder, who’s normally known for casting relative unknowns who pull off amazing performances, seems to be taking to the higher-profile names for this film. Could it be pressure from WB to compete with Nolan’s all-star supporting cast of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman for the Batman films?

We’re hoping to get some solid casting announcements in the coming weeks that will prove that theory.

As many were aware, yesterday was potentially a historic day for both comic book fans and video gamers alike, as DC Universe Online, the largest MMO role playing game for both the PS3 console and the PC with actual licensed characters, hit shelves everywhere in the US. The game is said to be a landmark in the way comic fans and gamers cross over, and could even be huge for more cross-platform marketing.

DC Entertainment has quite a big year ahead of it in the box office as well, with their first big-budget, costumed live action flick since Dark Knight hits theaters with Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern. You can expect to see plenty of marketing between now and the film’s June release, even in-game marketing with DCUO. From Heat Vision:

Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment and executive creative director for DCUO, said that while the game will remain focused on 75 years of comic book lore, future expansions of the game will tie into film events like Warners’ The Green Lantern.

David Goyer has had quite a successful relationship with DC and Warner Bros. dating back to Batman Begins. Now, with his potential to write scripts for the upcoming Superman and Batman projects, Warner has optioned a brand new property from the mind of Goyer, based on his brand new series of science fiction novels.

The first story of the trilogy, titled Heaven’s Shadow, has been optioned by the studio to be made into a large-budget picture, with Goyer staying attached to re-work the script. If all goes according to plan, the film is only the first to be adapted from the series. From Deadline:

The trilogy begins when an object is discovered heading for earth. Initial panic gives way to a competition between governments to be first to intercept what they believe is a breakaway meteor. What the astronauts discover leads to an encounter with alien forces that are a threat to humanity. It is the first book that Goyer has written and last spring, he set it at the Penguin imprint Ace Books to be published in July, 2011. Heaven’s War and Heaven’s Fall will be released in subsequent summers. The studio bought the book series after Goyer pitched it, as Goyer and his co-author are still working on the prose.

No word on how this upcoming project could effect Goyer’s work on his other projects, especially the upcoming third Batman film in the new trilogy. According to film star Michael Caine, the studio and Nolan are planning to shoot as soon as April of next year, which could mean Goyer’s script is already in the can.

Not only that, but DC Entertainment is also tired of leaving the Superman property on the shelf, and plans are already in action to streamline the film for a 2012-2013 release.

Whatever the case may be, you can believe we’ll be keeping a close eye on all things coming out of Goyer’s camp over the next few years, as he should have his work cut out for him.

With Inception hitting theaters next Friday, and expected to be one of the biggest films of the summer, you can believe that Warner Bros. won’t be pulling any punches when it comes to promotion. We’ve already seen some pretty intense trailers, which have made the epic tuba noise a ringtone for thousands of fans. Now, the film is taking to building-sized posters to bend our minds.

Only two new advertisements have been spotted so far. Both in New York City, and both pretty cool. The first shows a flood of water shooting out each of the windows. The second, and arguable the cooler advertisement, shows the side of a building being peeled back to reveal the offices inside.

The film, directed by Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan, is about the world of dreams, and how fragile each of us can be inside of them. Check out the two full building advertisements after the jump, and be sure to catch Inception in theaters on July 16th.