

'The Dark Knight Rises' star Christian Bale has revealed his desire to make another Batman movie, should director Christopher Nolan find a way to continue the story. The upcoming third instalment of Nolan's series is being promoted with the tagline "The Legend Ends", and the filmmaker has confirmed that it will be his last Batman movie.

However, Bale told Empire magazine he would enjoy the challenge of furthering the story, saying, "My understanding is that this is the last one.I think it's appropriate, I think it's going out at the right time.But... if Chris came to me with a script and said, 'You know what? There is another story', then I would love the challenge of making a fourth one work". Last month, Nolan confirmed that he still intends to leave the franchise after the upcoming movie, though with a plethora of new characters set to be introduced in 'The Dark Knight Rises', fans will no doubt be eager for a fourth movie. Studio bosses would also be hungry for Nolan to stay at the helm, assuming the film performs as it is expected to do at the box-office. Analysts suggested the movie is the only realistic competition to 'The Avengers' for the title of 2012's biggest movie.

'The Dark Knight Rises' will hit cinemas in the UK and US on July 20, 2012. Exclusive footage from the film is set to premiere at this year's MTV Movie Awards.