Christian Bale Talks 'Dark Knight Rises': 'We've Got To Up It'

Actor tells MTV News he's 'very excited, because if ['Batman' series director Christopher Nolan] maintains, this will be the last one.'
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Christian Bale
Photo: MTV News

News about the third installment of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale's "Batman" series has been slowly dripping out over the past few months. Nolan officially committed to direct in September, "Inception" actor Tom Hardy joined the cast in October, and a few weeks later, the title, "The Dark Knight Rises," was announced.

So, yes, we've been learning snippets of info here and there. All along the way, though, Bale himself hasn't learned much more than us. "Chris will let me know what I need to know when I need to know it," Bale told MTV News while promoting "The Fighter." "It's our fourth movie together. I probably know a little bit more than some other people out there, but I think most people would be surprised at how little I do know."

One thing Bale does know is that this will bring their "Batman" series to a close. That's what Nolan said back in March, and that's what has Bale looking forward to the "Dark Knight Rises" shoot.

"Very excited, because if Chris maintains, this will be the last one," Bale said, adding, "We've got to up it."

The production is set to kick off in New Orleans in the spring. That gives the 36-year-old Bale more than enough time to get into the mind-set of Bruce Wayne. Plus, after working together on two "Batman" flicks and 2006's "The Prestige," the pair know what to expect from each other.

"It just hasn't been necessary yet," Bale explained about not knowing very much about the upcoming film. "I know he'll give me plenty of time to prepare for whatever I need to, and I'll discover it. He's a pretty damn good filmmaker. I trust that he's going to come up with something wonderful."

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

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