That didn't take long. With filming on The Dark Knight Rises officially underway, Warner Bros. has started the hype machine early in anticipation of the July 20, 2012 release. A new website went online late Thursday (www.thedarkknightrises.com), and while it initially seemed like nothing more than a black page with some bizarre chanting on loop, a closer investigation has revealed a bit of viral marketing tied to -- what else? -- Twitter, and a subsequent first look at Tom Hardy as Bane in the new film.
An enterprising Batman fan over at Superhero Hype -- or perhaps just some member of the Warner Bros. marketing team -- realized that the audio file on the site contained a Twitter hashtag (#thefirerises) that, when tweeted, would slowly begin to reveal a hidden teaser image embedded on the site.
Naturally, the image itself has already leaked -- and you can check it out below. Hardy-as-Bane looks awfully menacing, no?
[Click for bigger]
· First Look: Tom Hardy as Bane from 'The Dark Knight Rises' [/Film]
· What the Hell Is Going On At The 'Dark Knight Rises' Website? [JoBlo]