Christopher Nolan: 'Dark Knight Rises Opening Is Breathtaking'

Christopher Nolan has spoken about The Dark Knight Rises, saying that the opening sequence for the final Batman film is "breathtaking."

The director said the six-minute opening, which will air before IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, was made in order to allow him to "take time" setting up the film's story.

He told Entertainment Weekly: "My feeling, particularly on an action film, is you want to be thrown into a situation that somehow takes your breath away early in the film. I think rhythmically - you know, I view these films as pieces of music - if you start with a bit of a bang, it buys you more time to then calmly move into the story and the characters.

"We have a lot of characters in this film, a lot of people to introduce, a lot of catching up to do with the audience. So I think it was important to really throw something big on screen and then take our time."

With the film now in post-production, Nolan added: "I am excited about it. I'm only nervous about it in that the rest of the film isn't finished yet, so we're still in the evolving creative process. I wouldn't want the reactions to skew that. We try to work in a vacuum a little bit.

"It's always different in the editing room. There's a lot of discovery and a long process of re-discovery."

The Dark Knight Rises is released on July 20, 2012.