James Gunn threatens to recast Dwayne Johnson’s DCU role with Chris Pratt in ‘Superman: Legacy’

Watching your favorite movies abroad? Don’t forget to get your Aeroshield smart DNS to access any geo-restricted content.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - APRIL 19: Director James Gunn and Chris Pratt attend the Seoul premiere of "Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3" at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on April 19, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.

Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

It’s a given that many James Gunn regulars and Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans will be following him over to the DCU, but Chris Pratt has already been established as one of the most potentially contentious.

Despite being a certifiable A-lister with a box office track record the majority of his peers would kill for, the actor has proven to be a polarizing presence, one that many fans don’t want anywhere near a DC property. He did jokingly throw his hat into the ring to be Catwoman, though, but it’s the recasting of a Dwayne Johnson role for Superman: Legacy that’s sure to raise eyebrows.

The Rock made a serious play to carve out his own corner of the franchise last year, by taking top billing and producing both DC League of Super-Pets and Black Adam, which released only months apart. Of course, he was quickly shown the door by Gunn, who then ironically confirmed he was a fan of Krypto the Superdog.

In an interview with The Toronto Sun, Gunn and Pratt ended up stumbling onto the subject of Superman’s canine companion, with the filmmaker cracking that he could see his Star-Lord kitted out in a mo-cap leotard doing nothing but barking noises.

“I was hoping I could cast you as Krypto the Superdog. You could do motion capture on set and walk around on your hands and knees, but you can’t talk.”

In response, Pratt fired back with a gag of his own, but not before claiming a major spoiler had just been revealed.

“I’ll do Krypto but you have to pay me in crypto. It sounds like there’s going to be a character called Krypto in Superman – breaking news.”

Gunn then admitted that “it is a scoop, I guess,” so maybe Krypto is on the cards after all, even if paying top dollar to secure somebody like Pratt for the part almost certainly isn’t going to happen. But a vocal role? You never know…