In early December 2018,
Ronald dela Rosa expressed his desire for
Robin Padilla and
Sharon Cuneta to respectively play him and his wife Nancy if ever a film is made about him. He also has expressed his preference to have the film focus on his biography rather than his romance with his wife in particular.
Bato was directed by
Adolfo Alix Jr. Padilla was first approached by Jayke Joson at the request of senator
Manny Pacquiao about starring in a film about dela Rosa. None of the film's marketing material credit the film's crew members other than the director and two lead actors. ==Release==