News of the special Dark Knight preview comes not only third-hand, and translated from a German site, so don't take it as an official announcement -- but it's quite the exciting enticement for those who might have gone for a regular old normal-sized screening, no?

We'd previously heard that the IMAX presentation of I Am Legend would host a six or seven-minute Joker-related prologue, which it seems now might also be the first opening minutes of the film itself.

From Batman Movie News and Updates comes the translated piece that originated on Kino.de, in which the IMAX news is revealed. Kino also shares some story/production details:

-- Batman will go to Hongkong [sic] for some kind of "gangster hunting", but the producer Chuck Roven won't tell us why Batman travels to Hongkong.

-- "The whole thing is not 'Joker Begins', because we did not tell how the Joker became what he is", says director Christopher Nolan. "During these five minutes it is shown how the joker of the small crook becomes the most-dreaded gangster of the city - it is more of a "The Rise of the Joker"

-- Batman's new mask will have white lenses on the eyes when he turn on the Bat-sonar detection.

Dark Knight is now filming and will hit theaters on July 18, 2008.