Anne Hathaway and Christian Bale PIC: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Hollywood stars Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway will be heading down the red carpet twice later - at the European premiere of the latest Batman extravaganza.

Bale - who plays the “caped crusader” for a third time - and the other stars will be attending twin events less than an hour apart to launch The Dark Knight Rises.

After first turning out for the premiere proper in London’s Leicester Square, they will then be ferried across to the Imax cinema at the South Bank for a further starry screening.

The film is the third directed by Christopher Nolan and co-stars Tom Hardy as the hulking, masked villain Bane.

Also due to attend the screenings tonight are Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.

The film opens in the UK and Ireland on Friday.