DC Went to Extreme To Prevent The Batman Leaks, And Yes, That Included Tracker Device
In the world of comic book-based films, it is quite hard to keep fans in the dark about what's going to happen since these movies are, well, based on comics.
Even those who do not read comic books themselves still can get a pretty good understanding of what has already happened to their favorite character. But movie companies have some cards up their sleeves, making their scripts intricate by mixing source materials and throwing in something else on occasion, and keeping the end result a secret. To keep those secrets, studious go to a great length, as the success of the end product depends on it.
With a history of some superhero movies' scripts being leaked before release, it's not a surprise that WB and DC films were serious about security measures. But as turns out we have no idea how far they are ready to go. According to Paul Dano, who played the Riddler in The Batman, to keep these movie materials a secret he had a special "binder" with a "tracking devise" on it.
In the interview with GQ, the actor opened up about such an experience:
"When it was said I was going to do that part, I never received that many texts, phone calls, emails." And after receiving the hard copies of all the renderings, Dano was told to keep the secret materials safe, "Don't lose this. Put it in your 'special binder.' […] this was the first time I had a binder with a locking code on it. Then they added a tracking device."
Starring in The Batman brought Dano under a huge spotlight. In the same GQ interview, the actor shared that he was ready for this role and the consequences that come with becoming a part of a world-known superhero story.
"I would have been less ready to do a film like The Batman when I was 25," Dano says. "I think I would really have had a hard time doing all the press and getting recognized. And I can handle that now. The biggest difference now is that I want it more clearly, frankly. Like: I want to be an artist, and I want to be an actor, I want to be a director, I really want to make my next film. And, um, I guess I want to be a comic book writer?"
And it's not just empty talk. The actor is a comic book writer now: his comic book Riddler: Year One is set to be released on October 25, 2022. As you can tell from the title, this is a backstory of the Riddler Dano plays in The Batman. The ideas for this comic book were developed by Dano while they were filming The Batman to help him portray the character in the film. Right now, you can enjoy Dano's Riddler in The Batman while waiting for his comic book release.