‘The Lego Batman Movie’ features a number of hidden references to the DC Comics universe.
Director Chris McKay has promised the upcoming family film – which features Will Arnett in the title role – will make superhero fans happy because he tried to incorporate as many characters from the comic books, original animated series and previous Batman movies into his saga as he possibly could.
And for some that he couldn’t get the rights to, or were deemed too scary for family viewing, he found other ways to get in a mention.
He said: "I just kept going until someone eventually said, ‘We can only make this many or we can only get the rights to this many or we can’t do this character because it will scare children.’
"If we didn’t get a character, there’s something in the signage of Gotham city, or a reference in a newspaper headline… There are little Easter eggs, some very overt.
"It’s definitely a deep dive if you love movies, love comics and love Batman."
And the filmmaker also found ways to reference his other favourite movies outside of the Batman universe.
He added to SciFiNow magazine: "That’s what’s fun about a ‘Lego’ movie, especially a ‘Lego Batman’ movie.
"Just by having those characters say lines you’d have in a Michael Bay movie, they become ridiculous coming out of a toy’s mouth.
"We literally took lines from a Michael Bay movie and put them in Lego characters’ mouths, and it’s funny to watch them act like they’re in a big Cuban Missile Crisis."
Lego Batman has secret references
