James Gunn has a soft spot for misfits — especially the furry kind. As he prepares to launch Superman, the first feature film in his brand-new DC Universe, he’s introducing audiences to a different kind of hero: Krypto the Superdog. Yes, he wears a cape. Yes, he can fly. And yes, Gunn knows how ridiculous that sounds. But if there’s anyone who can pull it off, it’s the guy who made the world cry over a genetically modified raccoon. “Rocket made the world ready for Krypto,” Gunn said, referring to Guardians of the Galaxy breakout Rocket Raccoon, whom he wrote and directed across three Marvel films, although he did admit that Krypto was an easier character to write:
“Krypto is way more grounded than Rocket, because Krypto is simply a superpowered dog. He’s just a poorly behaved dog, which is what my dog is. So he’s really easy and fun to write.”
Rocket wasn’t just another CGI sidekick for Gunn — he was deeply personal for him, and he was always the director’s favorite character. In fact, he even returned to Guardians of the Galaxy just to finish what he saw as Rocket’s story.
“The most important thing for me was Rocket’s story, and then, following that, everybody else,” Gunn said, at the time. “Rocket is the secret protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and has always been the centre of it for me, and this is really fulfilling that. The reason I came back, and decided to do this movie, was because I really felt like Rocket’s story needed to be told – and it was left hanging after Vol 2.”
Krypto is the Key to ‘Superman’
Gunn says Krypto was the key to unlocking the tone of Superman. “The beginning of the movie is the first thing I wrote, with Krypto coming to Superman in the snow and Krypto taking him home,” he said. “That really was about the tone of the whole movie.” From that one scene came the rest: the fortress, the robots, the retro-futuristic sci-fi inspired by All-Star Superman.
“It’s a flying dog who wears a cape, but that led immediately to the world-building,” Gunn said. “And bringing all those elements into a Superman movie in a way that hasn’t happened before — that’s what made it exciting.”
Superman will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more.
Source: Rolling Stone