Christopher Nolan - Batman's Final Act Was Emotional For Filmmaker Nolan

The shoot on the hotly-anticipated The Dark Knight Rises is complete and now Nolan is in post-production getting the sequel ready for its summer (12) release.

And he admits his Christmas was tinged with sadness as he realised there were great friends he'd never get the chance to work with again.

He tells the Los Angeles Times, "It was pretty emotional as we would finish these characters and say goodbye to Alfred (Michael Caine) for the last time and say goodbye to Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and eventually, with Christian (Bale), fairly close to the end.

"Saying goodbye to Batman... it was a big deal. And with these newer characters too, finishing with Anne (Hathaway, who plays Catwoman) and all these guys. It was quite touching, I must say."