THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Set Visit Preview and 4 Awesome New Posters!

In early August of last year, I got to visit the set of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh.  I’ve waited a long time to write those words.  At the time of the visit, the embargo/NDA was so severe that Warner Bros. wouldn’t allow us to tweet or post on Facebook that we were even flying into the city!  But with Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film hitting theaters July 20th, the studio has been amping up their promotional campaign, and they’re finally allowing the sites that were on set to say we were there.  In addition, they’ve provided us with four awesome billboards/posters that feature Bane, Catwoman, and Batman.  Hit the jump to check them out and to learn more about my set visit.

Before I go any further, it’s important to note this is not my full set visit.  WB is allowing us to write a very short preview, and in the near future they’re going to lift the embargo, so you’ll be able to read what I wrote flying back from Pittsburgh.  I’ve also got a great video blog to go along with it.

But for now all I can tell you is that I watched the big football scene that you’ve all seen in the trailer which features the stadium partially exploding due to Bane blowing it up.  In addition, I got to see Nolan filming with the IMAX cameras, and so much more.  It was an awesome day to be on set, and I cannot wait to go into more detail!

Finally, while on set I was able to participate in group interviews with Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Nestor Carbonell, producers Emma Thomas and Jordan Goldberg, costume designer Lindy Hemming, and special effects supervisor Chris Corbould.  When the full embargo lifts, you can look forward to reading the interviews here on Collider.

While I’m not sure when the full embargo will lift yet, WB usually lifts them about a month before release, so I’d expect around June 20th or so.

Until then, enjoy these awesome new posters (click on any image for high-res):

UPDATE:  The embargo has been lifted!  Click here to read my full set report including 20 Things to Know About The Dark Knight Rises.

Here are links to our recent coverage:

• Six New Character Posters
• 2 New TV spots
• New images
• The Newest Poster
• New Image and Poster Highlighting Bane’s Mask
• Images of the Tumbler and Bat-Pod from the Tumbler Tour
• A new TV spot for The Dark Knight Rises for the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
• New images from The Dark Knight Rises.
• The Bat-Pod and Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises Head Out on a Road Tour to a City Near You
• Warner Bros. Has Begun Selling The Dark Knight Rises Merchandise
• New Trailer for The Dark Knight Rises Shows Off a Sassy Catwoman and a Terrifying Bane
• The Dark Knight Rises Viral Campaign Begins Unmasking the New Trailer