"The Dark Knight Rises" premieres in New York

(CBS News) Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman all hit the "black carpet" in New York on Monday night for the premiere of the final chapter in director Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy - "The Dark Knight Rises."

Pictures: "The Dark Knight Rises" premiere

Other stars from the film who attended the world premiere include Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Bale told WCBS-TV in New York that it wasn't in suiting up in the Batman costume for that last time that gave him pause. "It was in taking it off that was kind of poignant," he said.

Nolan's franchise reboot kicked off in 2005 with "Batman Begins, casting Bale as Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, followed by 2008's "The Dark Knight."

Oldman, who plays Commissioner Gordon, told WCBS that the one moment that stands out in his mind is the very first day on the set of "Batman Begins."

For Bale, that was a long time ago and three is enough.

"It's the only character I've played three times and there's certainly a lot more stories that could be told, he's a really interesting character, but enough's enough. It's nice to leave when we're out on top instead of leaving people wanting less," Bale said on the red carpet, reports E! News.

The film's executive producer, Michael E. Uslan, said the final film embodies the filmmakers complete vision.

"The Dark Knight Rises, as the concluding chapter in Christopher Nolan's genius trilogy, represents everything I ever hoped and dreamed would happen with Batman on the silver screen since I first envisioned a dark and serious Batman movie franchise," said Uslan.

The highly-anticipated final installment opens in theaters Friday.