James Gunn Adopted a Dog, So ‘Superman’ Will Too
While writing his upcoming “Superman” film, James Gunn adopted a dog that changed his life — and also the movie’s script.
Gunn revealed on X that Krypto, the super-dog owned by Clark Kent/Superman, will appear in the film arriving next summer. And yes, the pooch will have superpowers.
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“Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing ‘Superman,'” Gunn wrote on the former Twitter.
Gunn did not invent Krypto the Superdog, he’s just the first to bring the pup to a live-action film. Krypto is a DC comics staple and even had his own animated TV series “Krypto the Superdog” (2005-2006) on Cartoon Network. Krypto also appeared in 2022’s “DC’s League of Superpets” and was voiced by Dwayne Johnson. We don’t think Krypto will be a talking dog in “Superman” — that would probably be the single weirdest way for The Rock to wind up back in the DC universe after playing Black Adam.
Gunn expanded a little more about how Ozu, presumably named for the Japanese master and “Tokyo Story” director Yasujiro Ozu, came into his life and ultimately shaped the “Superman” screenplay.
“Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs & never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least,” Gunn said. “He immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture — he even ate my laptop. It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. I remember thinking, “Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?” — and thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life. What better time to debut the not-so-good-good-boy Krypto than #AdoptAShelterDog month.”
Gunn added that at the very least, Ozu is “fairly often, a very good boy.” Adorable, but maybe not super…
“Superman” will kick off a new universe of interconnected DC films at DC Studios as orchestrated by Gunn and his executive partner Peter Safran. That means Krypto may appear in future DCU films as well. (The brand can’t put “Joker 2,” which is not part of the DCU, to sleep fast enough.)
“Superman,” which was originally titled “Superman: Legacy,” will open in theaters July 11, 2025. The film stars David Corenswet, seen in “Twisters” earlier this year, as Clark Kent, as well as Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, along with Milly Alcock, Isabela Merced, Frank Grillo, and Nathan Fillion.
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