Superman: Legacy Bringing Back Krypto The Superdog
James Gunn says there will be a Krypto in his upcoming DC film Superman: Legacy.
It looks like James Gunn wants to be the first director to bring a live-action Krypto the Superdog to the big screen. Speaking to the Toronto Sun while doing press for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn confirmed Krypto will appear in his upcoming DC Studios film Superman: Legacy. The discussion that led to the reveal began as a joke between Gunn and Guardians 3 star Chris Pratt, but soon turned into a genuine scoop for the Sun.
Gunn joked with Pratt that he wanted to cast him as the motion-capture artist for Krypto in Superman: Legacy, saying, “You could do motion capture on set and walk around on your hands and knees, but you can’t talk.” Pratt, quick on his feet, fired back, “I’ll do Krypto but you have to pay me in crypto.” Gunn agreed, saying he would pay him in crypto, which would “amount to zero dollars.”
When the interviewer mentioned that the addition of Krypto to Superman: Legacy was a “scoop” for him, Gunn confirmed, “It is a scoop, I guess.” Keeping the humor going, Pratt said to Gunn, “Way to go. You’re fired. Back to Marvel.”
This isn’t actually the first time Gunn has mentioned wanting to have Krypto in Superman: Legacy. In April, while talking to Rolling Stone about the differences between Legacy and his Marvel work, Gunn said he had “an interest in a live-action Krypto,” without going so far as confirming the Superdog would be in the film.
The notion of a live-action Krypto perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising considering Gunn has mentioned that in Superman: Legacy he’s taking quite a bit of inspiration for Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman — a series DC Comics published between 2005-6. The title had, among other things, a much more hopeful, upbeat vibe than what we’ve been used to with Henry Cavill‘s Superman. While having Krypto show up in something like Man of Steel or Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice would have clashed with the tone, Legacy is sounding like a film that could use a super-powered canine.
Krypto first showed up way back in 1955’s Adventure Comics #210. With all the different reboots that DC Comics has endured over the years, the Superdog’s origin has changed a number of times. Sometimes he’s a native of Krypton like Superman and was the El family pet, and other times he’s an Earth dog who gained super powers through other means.
Krypto has been quite a bit more visible the past few years. A live-action version of the doggo shows up in HBO Max’s Titans, in the same Lexcorp lab from which Superboy (Joshua Orphin) escapes. Last year Dwayne Johnson voiced Superman’s best friend in the animated feature DC’s League of Super-Pets.
We don’t know how Krypto will fit into Superman: Legacy yet, but that’s to be expected since the film is still a ways off. Gunn’s crack at the Last Son of Krypton is scheduled to hit theaters July 11, 2025.
