Warner Bros. has released the first look teaser poster for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.  Not much is known about the plot for the third installment of the Batman reboot, other than the cast. Reportedly Gary Oldman let slip in an interview that Nolan told his actors the ending verbally to avoid any leaks of script pages.

Nolan, by the way, is the first to direct more than two Batman films. Christian Bale is, of course, Batman/Bruce Wayne (He’s the first actor to portray the character in three films as well.) , Michael Caine is Alfred, Oldman is Jim Gordon and Morgan Freeman is Lucius Fox. New additions include Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, as well as a reunion of Inception cast members, including one of our boyfriends, Tom Hardy as Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate (Bruce Wayne’s love interest, a role for which Kate Winslett, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz were all considered).

The poster doesn’t tell us much, other than it’s ‘classic Nolan’. It basically shows Gotham City either getting blown to bits or just crumbling from urban decay, we don’t know, but then of course a bat shape is revealed.  According to rumor, the first teaser trailer will hit the web this week. Since it’s attached to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 in theaters, it will be hard to keep it off. Warner’s is apparently just going to go with it.

The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled to hit theaters July 20, 2012 in the UK, US & Canada.