DC League of Super-Pets focused on telling the story of the pet sidekicks of the Justice League, starting with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Krypto the Super-Dog. Directed by Jared Stern, the latest entry to DC's animated universe features a stacked cast alongside Johnson, adding the likes of Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-Hound, John Krasinski as Superman, Kate McKinnon as the villainous Lulu, and Keanu Reeves as the movie's Batman.
Marketing for Super-Pets confirmed that the pets' goal in the movie is to save the Justice League from Lulu, an evil guinea pig who seemingly has hatred towards Superman. On top of Lulu's evil scheme, the trailers also tease the movie's comedic vibe, which is largely centered around the impressive dynamic between Johnson's Krypto and Hart's Ace.
Now, as the animated movie is currently playing in theaters worldwide, the film's director opened up about the possibility of returning for a sequel.
DC Director Responds to Super-Pets Sequel Possibilities
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, DC League of Super-Pets director Jared Stern addressed the possibility of seeing a sequel to the Dwayne Johnson-led animated movie.
While admitting that he doesn't want to jinx it, Stern expressed interest in returning for a potential sequel or spin-off, saying that the film "created such a cool, animated DC Universe:"
“We never want to jinx it. We don't want to talk about sequels until this one comes out. But I hope it does well enough that there could be more because we love making it. We love this cast. I would love to work with them on anything again and we love the world. You know, wonderful artists on our film created such a cool, animated DC Universe."
Stern continued that he loved to explore the Gotham City of the Super-Pets' universe, considering that the debut film only explored Metropolis and Krypton. The DC animated filmmaker then teased that the film "ends in a way that, if people want it, we'd love to make more:"
"And we're pretty much only in Metropolis and Krypton in this movie. And I would love to see what the Gotham City of this world is like and other parts of the world. So I hope we get the chance. But again, we never get ahead of ourselves. We just hope people love this one because it is a self-contained story that I think is a really strong and fun superhero movie origin story as it is but it does, it ends in a way that, if people want it, we'd love to make more.”
When asked which other DC characters he'd like to explore in the sequel, Stern first explained the decision of why they ended up with Ace, Merton, and Chip in the film, saying that they wanted to feature animals that can be found in a pet shelter:
“That's a good question. I mean, I know there are so many great Super-pets in the DC canon, and we could not fit them all in this movie. And we have a bunch and they're great, you know, we chose the way we chose was sort of, you know, because for example, there's the original Legion right in there with like, Comet and Beppo, and they're awesome, but they were more Superman centric. And we thought, well, this is going to be an origin story for the Justice League’s pets and that's what led us towards Ace and Merton and Chip, and then even still, we had to do like pets that you would find in a pet shelter because our story is an origin story of these shelter pets who get powers."
However, Stern didn't reveal which other super-pets he wants to tackle in a sequel, but he did mention why Jumpa (Wonder Woman's kangaroo sidekick from the comics) didn't appear in the movie:
"For Jumpa fans, Sorry, I couldn't quite explain why there is a kangaroo in a Metropolis shelter. And there are just so many other great super-pets that I won't mention because I don't want to spoil which ones are in our in the movie, but so, I hope if I was making more stuff, I just I have ideas for a bunch of them that we couldn't even fit in this one. I think that would be fun.”
Will Krypto Return for Super-Pets 2?
Jared Stern's enthusiastic comment about returning for a sequel is a good sign, but it is unknown if the film's all-star cast would be tapped for a comeback. Despite that, Dwayne Johnson's passionate portrayal of Krypto combined with his strong bond with Kevin Hart should be a good starting point to rally the ensemble to return to a potential sequel.
The reveal that Super-Pets is a "self-contained story" isn't surprising, mainly because it is the traditional way of approaching movies nowadays. Still, Stern did tease that the film's ending is open-ended, allowing it to continue telling more stories down the line. It's possible that a new villain or another potential member of the super-pets will be introduced, which could set up the sequel's next storyline.
A possible plot point that could be explored in a sequel is the new dynamic between Kevin Hart's Ace and Keanu Reeves' Batman. Stern previously revealed that Super-Pets' Batman is a "haunted" take on the Dark Knight due to his dark past and he mentioned that the DC hero could really use a pet. It's likely that Ace will end up on Batman's side and the pair's past could be thoroughly explored, giving the director a chance to create a movie that is set in the universe's Gotham City.
At this point, it is unknown if a Super-Pets sequel will be pursued. During its opening weekend, the film had an acceptable opening weekend, garnering $23 million in its domestic run and a $41 million worldwide haul. There's a strong chance that the numbers will go up in the coming weekends, with the global box office serving as its anchor. Johnson's star-power combined with the film's stellar voice cast could be enough reason for fans to be intrigued, ultimately capped off by a sequel announcement in the future.
DC League of Super-Pets is now playing in theaters worldwide.
