The Batman: Paul Dano Reveals He Lived Away From Family to Prep for Major Riddler Scene

Warner Bros. Discovery may be having an interesting year due to the onslaught of changes over at DC Studios, but there is some good news. Even though it was rumored that newly appointed co-CEO’s James Gunn and Peter Safran wanted to find a way to merge The Batman universe with the main DC Universe, it has officially been debunked by all parties including director Matt Reeves. Reeves niche in the DC Universe is very secure after WB signed an overall deal with the director and is letting him develop spin-off series for HBO Max that include The Penguin, a series set in Arkham Asylum and one focusing on the Gotham City Police Department. The Batman’s success is owed to the directors faithfulness to the source material as well as the performances from Robert Pattinson and Paul Dano. Some actors have interesting approaches to how they take on roles and it seems that Dano is no different. During a recent discussion with Brian Tyree Henry for Variety, the actor revealed that he had to move away from his family to prepare for a scene in the film.

“My character was like the two sides of trauma. That was the first conversation the director, Matt Reeves, and I had. Bruce Wayne is rich, but this kid, Edward Nashton, had nothing. And I always thought the only positive feedback that he ever received in his life was when a puzzle or a riddle said, ‘You win.’” Dano revealed. “This happened to me with The Riddler and also on a film called “Prisoners” — where I really have to start to separate the space. Because if I have a book about trauma or serial killers, it can’t go by my bed. For the big scene, toward the end of The Batman, I remember thinking, ‘OK, let me get a hotel room and be away from my family. Because none of this needs to be mixed.’”

“A lot of energy goes toward one day, right? One scene. And you accrue a lot of stuff along whatever your preparation time is. And then you have to release it.” The Batman star added.

The Batman director previously announced spinoff comic book based on the film’s version of Riddler – a comic that will be written by Dano himself! The series is titled “Riddler: Year One” and Reeves made the official announcement on social media, with the following tweets: “Paul Dano’s incredible journey with The Riddler isn’t over yet… Unmask his new @DCComics comic book: “Riddler: Year One,” this October and see @TheBatman #OnlyInTheaters now.” When a fan followed by asking if that statement indicated Dano was actually writing the book, Reeves confirmed as much by saying “Yes. Paul Dano wrote it.” 

From the initial sound of it, Riddler: Year One will hop back further, to show how forensic accountant Edward Nashton solved the dark puzzle of Gotham City’s corrupt political and elitist hierarchy while also going completely mad in the process. It could be a wonderfully deep and complex character study that also helps flesh out the world of Gotham that Matt Reeves built, with the same Noir tone and themes The Batman went with. Reeves has always been upfront at how much depth Dano added to his role as Riddler – now fans will see for themselves. Riddler: Year One was released back in October and definitely left a mark in The Batman universe.

Directed by Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as GCPD’s James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and Colin Farrell as Oswald “Penguin” Cobblepot. The film is streaming on HBO Max now.