The Batman Went To Extreme Lengths To Keep Paul Dano's Material A Secret
Batman is arguably the most iconic superhero in the history of comic books. The Caped Crusader has been brought to life on the silver screen more times than just about any superhero, and yet somehow, it seems like there's always a new hook to bring the character to a new generation of viewers. Take the latest version, "The Batman," which stars Robert Pattinson in the title role.
Like "Batman Begins," "The Batman" wisely holds off from pitting the Dark Knight against his most notable nemesis, Joker, and pivots to a similarly themed character with the Riddler. Paul Dano took on the role of the highly intelligent criminal in the film and played him as easily the most chilling version of the villain ever adapted to film or television. While the Riddler is known for his gadgets and traps, it would seem that Dano had to carry a surprisingly complex binder to keep all of the secrets about his character from "The Batman" extra safe as well.
Paul Dano had a special locking binder with a tracking device
Paul Dano sat down with GQ to talk about his impressive turn as The Riddler in "The Batman," among other things and the actor revealed just how far Warner Bros. was willing to go to ensure that nothing from "The Batman" was leaked ahead of time. "When it was said I was going to do that part, I never received that many texts, phone calls, emails," Dano explained.
Rather than leave a digital trail that might be intercepted or hacked by someone intent on leaking the materials, Warner Bros. opted for an incredibly secure hard copy of the information. "'Don't lose this. Put it in your 'special binder,' Dano recalled being told. Though the actor had seen the ways that studios keep information secret before, this was something new. "This was the first time I had a binder with a locking code on it. Then they added a tracking device," the actor said.
As leaks have become more and more prevalent with advances in technology, it's no surprise that the team behind "The Batman" went to such extreme lengths to keep the materials safe, especially for a movie with a budget in the ballpark of $200 million (via The Numbers). Since Dano has already expressed interest in returning to play the Riddler in a sequel to "The Batman" (via Comic Book), it seems possible that he'll be carrying another special binder again in the future.