While there is still a ways to go before the upcoming Academy Awards, this years mega-hit “The Dark Knight” is already being talked up for a re-release at the beginning of the new year.

Although there are few that could have missed it the first time—let alone forgotten about it by now—Warner Bros. execs would like to put the summer blockbuster out into selected theaters again to make sure that everyone will remember to vote for it during the upcoming Oscars season.

Many rumors have been spurred about the Batman sequel being eligible for Oscar nominations for the director, producer, cast, and film itself. With the constant chatter of Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger’s performance of The Joker, it would be less than surprising if he were to win a “Best Supporting Actor” statue.

“It is currently only in talks with IMAX executives for the re-release,” said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution, Warner Bros, in a statement to the press. “It is still unclear whether or not the release will spread wider into the average theater venue.”

The idea is to remind voters that “The Dark Knight” is there and eligible for votes, but with the release of the DVD coming this December, won’t fans already have been reminded enough? Not surprisingly, it seems to all come down to an issue of earnings instead. Warner Bros. hopes that with a re-release they can break the $1 billion mark of box office earnings. Even if this were to happen, it still leaves the film in second place to Titanic’s 1.84 billion total earnings. So, again, what’s the point?

The Oscar nominations will be released on January 22, 2009, coincidentally on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger’s death. Perhaps if the winter film season follows in the footsteps of this falls terrifyingly horrible beginning, many will race out to see “The Dark Knight” just to remember what a good film looks like.