Paul Dano got to experience the world of superhero films in his starring role in 2021’s The Batman. When it comes to “superhero fatigue,” Dano thinks that the genre could get better as a result.
Speaking to The Independent, Dano was asked about his take on the often-used phrase “superhero fatigue,” used to describe the general audience’s lack of interest in many recent comic book movies. According to Dano, this is the perfect opportunity for someone to breathe “new life” into the genre.
“It’s an interesting moment where everybody has to go like, ‘OK – what now?’ Hopefully from that, somebody either breathes new life into [comic book movies], or something else blossoms which is not superheroes,” Dano said. “I’m sure there will still be some good ones yet to come, but I think it’s kind of a welcome moment.”
Dano is not a fan of “content”
Dano went on to criticize the overuse of “content,” calling the term’s origin as a point where people in Hollywood began prioritizing quantity over quality, something he says was a “big misstep.”
“It’s a larger thing, too. As soon as the word ‘content’ came into what we do – meaning making movies or TV – it meant quantity over quality, which I think was a big misstep,” said Dano. “And I certainly don’t need that as a viewer or as an artist.”
As far as where The Batman falls into this, Dano thinks that audiences resonated with the movie because “it was a real film,” and something that didn’t feel like something you knew you were going to get.
“There are enough comic book movies where you just know what you’re gonna get. Reading the script for ‘The Batman,’ you knew it was a real film. Every sentence . . . that’s just Matt Reeves.”
