James Gunn and his dog. Photo:
James Gunn/Instagram
- Stars of the upcoming Superman reboot previewed the movie at CinemaCon 2025, where new footage from the upcoming superhero flick dazzled the crowd
- David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult joined writer-director James Gunn onstage at Caesar’s Palace
- Gunn also joked about how his “terrible” dog, Ozu, inspired the Man of Steel’s pup Krypto
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s the new Superman!
The stars of DC Studios’ upcoming reboot from James Gunn joined the writer-director at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas on Tuesday, April 1. Greeting the crowd at Caesar’s Palace as part of Warner Bros.’ preview presentation were David Corenswet, who plays the titular Man of Steel; Rachel Brosnahan, who plays journalist Lois Lane; and Nicholas Hoult, who plays the villainous Lex Luthor.
Gunn, 58, also opened up about how his rescue dog Ozu inspired the Man of Steel’s pup Krypto, admitting to the crowd that Ozu “is terrible to anyone that comes near him,” and recalling how he adopted Ozu after the death of his beloved pet Wesley, “the greatest dog that’s ever existed.”
The filmmaker, who also has a dog named Lola, went to a rescue organization, where he found Ozu — one among about 60 canines who were “malnourished” and living in squalor.
He soon spotted Ozu, who caught his attention because he “kind of looked like my old dog on crack,” Gunn said. “And he had one ear [that] sticks up and he was skinny and his hair was going out in all different directions. And I’m like, ‘That dog looks funny to me and I like funny things.’ “
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Gunn went on to say that Ozu was a year old upon his adoption, and “had never known human beings.” And upon bringing him home, “He was the worst dog you could possibly imagine.”
“He destroyed every single thing in my house,” said the filmmaker. “He chewed up all my shoes, he chewed up my furniture, he chewed up my new $8,000 laptop. … He was always following me around. He didn’t seem to like me, he didn’t want to play with me, would run away from me, would hide. I couldn’t find [my shoes]. And whenever I was barefoot, which I usually am inside my house, he’d run around and bite my feet as hard as he could.”
According to Gunn, “It would be so bad that I would be on the phone … and I don’t want to scream in agony while I’m on the phone, so I’d get up on my kitchen counter and sit cross-legged to get away from the dog. And all of a sudden I’d see him flying through the air and jumping onto the counter to bite my feet, and then also knock over whatever we were going to have for dinner that night.”
“And I thought, ‘Oh my God, what if this dog had superpowers? That’d be fun,’ ” Gunn said, of how Ozu inspired Krypto in Superman.
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Aside from Corenswet, 31, Brosnahan, 34, and Hoult, 35, Superman’s cast also boasts Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El a.k.a. Supergirl, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern and more.
The movie reboots the Man of Steel franchise for the big screen following Henry Cavill’s previous portrayal of the character, and has been called a soft reboot of the DC Extended Universe.
Also among Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming comic book adaptations are Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (in theaters June 26, 2026) starring Alcock, 24, plus Jason Momoa as Lobo, as well as 2026’s Clayface and 2028 series Dynamic Duo.
At their presentation, Warner Bros. also unveiled details about the upcoming releases of Final Destination: Bloodlines, F1 and more.
CinemaCon 2025 runs March 31 to April 3, while Superman flies into theaters July 11.
