Given that it’s set to herald a new dawn for DC films, you might be wondering just how different James Gunn’s version of Superman will be from Zack Snyder’s DCEU-launching iteration – or, frankly, any other take on the Boy Scout. But here’s something that hasn’t been done before in live-action big-screen form: Krypto The Superdog is coming. Yes, David Corenswet’s Kal-El will be joined by a four-legged friend, as confirmed by Gunn himself.
On Twitter, Gunn explained that this version of Krypto takes influence from his own rescue dog, Ozu. “Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman,” says the filmmaker. “Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs & never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least. 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.” He also confirmed: “Btw, Ozu today, is, fairly often, a very good boy.”
Along with a video-formatted image of Corenswet’s Supes with Krypto by his side, Gunn shared an image of Superman and Krypto on the moon from Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman run – which the writer-director has confirmed as a major influence on his film. Oh, and there's a shot of Gunn and Ozu too, for good measure.
Just how good a boy will Krypto ultimately be? How does he fit into Gunn’s vision for Superman? And is the hierarchy of power in the DCU about to change? We’ll find out when Superman hits cinemas on 11 July, 2025.