'The Batman' director says Paul Dano requested 200 takes to nail Riddler scene

• Matt Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter that one Riddler scene took 200 takes.
• In the scene, Paul Dano's Riddler talks to Batman via a cellphone video.

Matt Reeves, director of "The Batman," told The Hollywood Reporter that Paul Dano was so dedicated to nailing a scene as the villainous Riddler that he insisted on doing hundreds of takes in different styles.

The new movie about the superhero follows Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his early years of crime-fighting and also sets up origins for the hero's notorious villains such as Riddler, Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), and Penguin (Colin Farrell).

In one scene, Riddler video calls Batman who is at a murder scene at Gotham's City Hall. Reeves estimates that they shot the scene over 200 times in various iterations, many of which were at Dano's behest.

"He goes, 'OK, let me try one where I'm off camera and I stick my head in,'" Reeves said. "'Let me try one where I'm already sitting there.' He's directing this one-person play on an iPhone."

Reeves continued: "It was the giddiness that really got to me. Calling out the passing time, like he was a game show host. He was so inventive and creative. He's also very critical of himself."

THR also reported that Dano helped a great deal in the creation of Riddler's scary costume, which is a stark departure from previous versions. Originally the actor had helped costume designer Jacqueline Durran select a U.S. Army winter combat mask but Dano later decided to swap this out for wrapping his head in "Saran wrap" to cover all his hair because Riddler is known for being a detail-oriented villain.

Reeves also said that Dano continued to wear the plastic even when it became uncomfortable on the first day of shooting.

"[after four takes] Paul takes off the mask, his head, his face is beet red," Reeves said. "The heat can't escape. I was like, 'OK, all right, Paul, let's rethink this. You don't have to do this.' He goes, 'No, man, I told you that I wanted to do it. I'll do it.'"

"The Batman" is out in theatres on Friday.