Bale reprised the role of Batman in the sequel "The Dark Knight", released on July 18, 2008. He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method, and performed many of his own stunts. He reprised the role again for the sequel "The Dark Knight Rises", released on July 20, 2012. Of all the actors who have portrayed Batman on film, Bale did so for the longest time period. Following a shooting at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises", he visited survivors in an Aurora, Colorado hospital. Despite the success of the Dark Knight trilogy, Bale decided not to return for a potential fourth film appearance as Batman out of respect for Christopher Nolan's creative direction and the fact that the trilogy provided a full arc for the character.