Russell Crowe will make a surprise appearance in the next Batman movie, Caped Crusader star Christian Bale has revealed.

Bale let the secret slip during an interview to promote '3:10 To Yuma', in which both actors star.

He told iF Magazine: "Russell's going to actually be in the new Batman movie, which is a big surprise and I want to reveal it to everybody right now."

Bale refused to reveal if Crowe will play a villain in The Dark Knight - which is due for release next year.