Many superheroes across different studios and comic books have their own allies belonging to the animal kingdom, like Batman’s bats and Aquaman’s fishes. Just like that, the Man of Steel has his own pet dog named Krypto, who possesses the same powers any Kryptonian does under the influence of a yellow sun. While the dog has had many appearances in comic books and animated series, the upcoming Superman film will mark the screen debut for the loyal and furry companion. Director James Gunn recently talked about why he decided to bring Krypto to the screen and how, for him, the character is more personal than Superman himself.
While talking to NPR, James Gunn dived deep into the process behind making the Superman film, everything from early ideation, casting the new Kal-El and how the idea of Krypto came to be. Gunn shared a personal story of his own dog, which, although it does not possess any of the superhero powers, is soundly equipped with every bit of mischief and trouble. He said, “I had been under the gun for quite some time about this project, and Peter Safran kept badgering me. Right around the time I started working on the film, I adopted a dog named Ozu, and he was raised in a hoarding situation. The previous owner had about 60 dogs that were living in the woman’s backyard. And they were just lying on top of each other, mottled and messed up. It was a sad situation.”
‘He ate my $10,000 laptop’
Gunn continued the story as he described how adopting this particular dog was the equivalent of biting off more than he could chew and how Ozu made life very difficult for them. “He wanted nothing to do with me. Or my wife. And he just proceeded to destroy my house. He chewed up all of my shoes. Every time I walked across the floor, he was biting my feet really hard, so I would sit up on the kitchen counter and sit cross-legged and try to get away from him. He ate my $10,000 laptop. And I said, “Well, thank God he doesn’t have superpowers!” And that was like, Oh, boom! And so it just started there,” added Gunn.
James Gunn said that he quickly put this idea into action and 3D modelled Krypto around his own dog, even though the entire process was extremely challenging with Ozu being in no mood to appear in a major superhero film.
Superman is coming out on July 11, and the positive first reviews have already put some wind behind the sails of this film. Superman will be played by David Corenswet, and the rest of the cast includes Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Maria Gabriela De Faria.
