Without spoiling the movie, it’s fair to say that the rambunctious terrier/superdog in James Gunn’s “Superman” film is something of a scene-stealer.
The adorable canine companion named Krypto is a key character in the latest “Superman” installment, and as it turns out, he was inspired by filmmaker Gunn’s own rescue dog, Ozu.
While Krypto — donning a signature red cape and “Superman” insignia on his dog tag — is a CGI pup, Ozu was the physical model for the computer-generated canine.
While Ozu’s movements and likeness are key components of what became Krypto, his behavior also played a role.
“He immediately came in and destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture — he even ate my laptop,” Gunn has written of the unruly rescue dog. “It took a long time before he would even let us touch him.”
Ozu was adopted shortly after Gunn began writing the “Superman” script.
“I remember thinking, ‘Gosh how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?’ and thus Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life,” Gunn said.
While Krypto is something of a “foster situation” for Clark Kent (the dog canonically belongs to Supergirl, the cousin of Gunn’s titular superhero), the creative minds behind the movie are excited to see that the superdog is inspiring viewers to consider adopting a dog of their own.
In fact, according to the dog training app Woofz, as reported by The Wrap, Google searches for “adopt a dog near me” jumped 513% after the opening weekend of “Superman.” The search “rescue dog adoption near me” also increased by 163% in the same time.
This also comes after a promotion with nationwide rescue Best Friends Animal Society partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures to waive adoption fees at shelters across the country from July 1-10, leading up to the film’s release.
During this time, Best Friends Animal Society reported that 454 pets were adopted across the country.
Even some of the film’s cast members got in on the dog-loving action, with actress Maria Gabriele de Faria — who plays “The Engineer” in the film — adopting a 5-month-old rescue pup at a recent screening, which included adoptable pups.
“This Superman movie was inspired by Director James Gunn’s dog, Ozu, a rescue dog that changed his life,” Faria said on the red carpet. “It is a dream to me to mix such a huge, important movie with something [animal rescue/adoption] that is personally so important to me.”
During the event, she fell in love with Jude, who now joins two previously adopted cats that Faria rescued while filming the movie.
“We celebrate Maria Gabriela de Faria and Jude’s adoption story,” said Julie Castle, the CEO of Best Friends Animal Society.
“All across the country adoptable cats and dogs are looking for their own superheroes and we believe each of them should have a heroic ending just like Jude. We hope that this story will inspire people across the country to use their superpowers to save lives.”
As for Gunn and Ozu, the love just keeps on flowing.
“This film has been a barrage of blessings for me; this one may be the greatest,” Gunn reacted to the increase in adoption interest.
“Ozu has no idea any of this is happening but, if he did, he’d be proud.”
Header image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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