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Paul Dano: ‘The Batman’ Production Binder Came With a ‘Locking Code, Then They Added a Tracking Device’ to It
Warner Bros. went to great lengths to have "The Batman" script not leak.

Paul Dano: ‘The Batman’ Production Binder Came With a ‘Locking Code, Then They Added a Tracking Device’ to It

Paul Dano has been acting since the early 2000s, but it took playing the Riddler opposite Robert Pattinson in “The Batman” for the world to start noticing the 38-year-old in his every day life. As part of a new GQ cover story, Dano said he now gets recognized in public when he least expects it. One example: When he goes to get the mail. “Like a mailman: ‘Oh, shit!! Riddler!!” the actor said.

“When it was said I was going to do that part, I never received that many texts, phone calls, emails,” Dano added later in the interview, noting the production went to extreme lengths to ensure none of Dano’s Riddler production materials would get lost or leaked.

As reported by GQ: “On set, he submerged himself into the epic cache of production materials. They’d give Dano hard copies of all the renderings: ‘Don’t lose this. Put it in your ‘special binder.” He’d seen other ways of keeping secret materials secure. ‘But this was the first time I had a binder with a locking code on it. Then they added a tracking device.'”

Dano earned critical acclaim for his performance as Riddler in “The Batman,” and he spent so much time devising a backstory for the character that director Matt Reeves set up a call with DC Comics so that Dano could turn all of his prep into a comic storyline. The result is the upcoming Dano-scripted graphic novel “The Riddler: Year One,” which he describes as “an emotional horror story about trauma.”

Not only does Dano have “The Riddler: Year One” on the way, but he also has a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” hitting theaters next month. Dano stars as a version of Spielberg’s father, a much-needed role after playing Riddler.

“I was so relieved that Steven would ask me to play this part, especially after that,” Dano told Variety earlier this year. “It was a really good antidote to get to play someone who has so much integrity and so much kindness.”

“The Fabelmans” will receive a limited theatrical release from Universal Pictures on Nov. 11, before opening wide on Nov. 23. “The Batman” is now available to stream on HBO Max.