Whether or not Tom Hardy plays a villain The Dark Knight Rises (btw - it appears he is), there's one thing we should know about the next Batman installment: It may be the last for Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale.

At least that's what they're saying now.

In a recent interview with E!, Bale said the follow-up to Dark Knight will likely be his last turn as the Caped Crusader. "This will be, I believe -- unless Chris [Nolan] says different -- the last time I'll be playing Batman."

Unfortunately, statements made by the director don't have us feeling any better. “I must say that I’m glad — I’m very, very glad — to be embarking on the last chapter of our Batman saga without any sense of obligation or duty to the studio," Nolan told EW. "They did very well with Inception. So I’m able to go into finishing our story in a very enthusiastic way.”

What do you think about their comments? Do you think the film's box office numbers could eventual change things?