Back in November 2010, it was rumored that director Christopher Nolan might shoot all of The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX.  In May 2011, Warner Bros. sent out a press release saying that while not all of the movie would be shot in IMAX, the technology would be used "even more extensively" than it was in The Dark Knight, which contained about 40 minutes of IMAX.  Then in December, Steve spoke with producer Emma Thomas and learned that the movie could feature more than 40 – 50 minutes of IMAX footage.  Today, The Wall Street Journal reports that there will be "more than one hour's worth" of IMAX footage in The Dark Knight Rises.  Aw, yeah.Hit the jump for more.  The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th.The-Dark-Knight-Rises-IMAX-imageSpeaking to The Wall Street Journal, Nolan explained that blockbuster movies can handle the technical requirements of the noisy, 90-pound cameras:

"There was a huge irony that we were told it would be too difficult to shoot a Hollywood movie on IMAX when we had this gigantic camera department, grips, electric, hundreds of people working for us," says the director, whose agreement to direct "The Dark Knight" was contingent on Warner Bros. allowing him to shoot the film in IMAX. "These were cameras that had been to the top of Mount Everest, to the bottom of the ocean and into outer space, but people thought we couldn't make a feature film. It was absurd."

There will be plenty of 3D and IMAX post-converted blockbusters this summer, but movies shot in IMAX, not 3D, is where those blockbusters should be trying to go.  An IMAX movie is absolutely worth the cost of a ticket because it gives the viewer something they'll never be able to get at home.  The Dark Knight Rises won't be entirely in IMAX, but I think we can all live with getting over an hour's worth of the spectacular format.

Finally, if you missed it, the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises will premiere in front of The Avengers next week.  Read about it here.

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