DC League of Super-Pets is set to showcase a brand new version of the Justice League. While the main focus of the upcoming DC film revolves around Dwayne Johnson's Krypto the Super-Dog and Kevin Hart's Ace the Bat-Hound, a good portion of the movie is expected to tackle how this new Justice League operates, such as its leaders, Superman and Batman.
League of Super-Pets features an all-star cast portraying DC's iconic heroes. Jared Stern, the film's director, revealed to The Direct that Keanu Reeves is voicing a Batman that is "haunted" and someone that could use a pet in the movie.
Another notable hero in the lineup is John Krasinski's Superman. The Man of Steel is prominently featured in the film's trailers, mostly showing his day-to-day life with Krypto.
Now, the film's director has discussed what makes this Superman unique from his predecessors.
John Krasinski's Superman in Super-Pets is Different
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, DC League of Super-Pets director Jared Stern explained how John Krasinski's Superman stands out among other Supermen in the DC Universe.
Stern first discussed the process of choosing the film's Superman, sharing that they ended up with Krasinski after playing his voice to the image of the DC's Man of Steel:
“Yeah, I mean, again, we played his voice to the image of our Superman and it was just, ‘Oh, that's perfect.’ He sounds like Superman. And we liked what we got. We listen to actors’ voices, we listen to clips of them performing in movies or television and also clips of them on a talk show, just to see what they're like when they're just sort of being themselves and he had a sort of that boyish all American hero-ey kind of voice and I think John is a great voice before he's done a lot of it."
The Internship screenwriter also explained how he helped Krasinski to find his Superman voice, revealing that he tweaked it to sound like "a tiny bit of a guy who's here to save you, but not too much."
Stern also described Super-Pets' Superman as a "heroic" yet "relatable" superhero who's going through "the same kind of issues that we all do with his pet:"
"And he was able to just tweak his voice just a tiny bit to be like his Superman, it was just a little bit more just like a tiny bit of deadly do right, a tiny bit of a guy who's here to save you, but not too much. And he still really feels like a regular guy who's having problems in our movie because he loves his dog. And his dog is a little bit jealous of his new relationship with his girlfriend, Lois Lane. And so I think he was this heroic Superman but also a relatable Superman, who's going through the same kind of issues that we all do with his pet.”
In comparison with other on-screen iterations of Superman such as Henry Cavill's latest take, Stern admitted that the character is inspired by the "old Fleischer cartoons" from the 1940s while also confirming that they partnered with Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics Jim Lee to help with the design of the hero:
“Yeah, well, visually, we had great character designers, a whole team of people. And, we sort of picked and chose from some of our favorite stuff. I grew up loving the Christopher Reeve-Richard Donner Superman movies. And so there's a little bit of him in the design. There are some nods to the old Fleischer cartoons and the design of the logo. And then, stuff that we've we all loved, and then original stuff, because you really want him to, we wanted him to be like our Superman for our movie, but also still really feel like Superman. And we partnered with DC, Jim Lee, and everybody, just [to] make sure that we always did that we felt with every character so that it was like an original thing, but also always retain the core of what makes them that character for the fans.
Stern ultimately revealed that what sets Super-Pets' Superman apart is fans will see the character as a "dog owner" and a "dotting parent who just loves his baby so much."
The DC director capped it off by saying that the intriguing aspect of this Superman is "he doesn't have the power to figure out how to make his balance his best friend and his girlfriend:”
"I think the thing that sets our guy apart is that you're seeing Superman, the dog owner, which you don't see that much. And it's almost like Superman, like the parent, a doting parent who just loves his baby so much. And he's worried about him. And that's just a fun thing to see from Superman. He's got all the powers in the universe, but he doesn't have the power to figure out how to make his balance his best friend and his girlfriend.”
Examining John Krasinski's Unique Take on Superman
Based on the trailers, John Krasinski's Superman appears to be sidelined for a good chunk of the film's narrative. Despite that, Jared Stern's comments about Superman give fans an overview of how the character will be portrayed in the movie, teasing that the Man of Steel's limited role still allowed Krasinski to give fans a DC hero that everyone can relate to.
The Super-Pets' director's description of the film's Superman as someone who is struggling with what to do with his relationship with Krypto after he decides to go all-in with Lois Lane indicates that this will be the main conflict of the movie, and the resolution of this intriguing story detail will be a must-see for viewers.
The director also made a good point that Krasinski's Superman is not the usual powerhouse that fans have been seeing in recent iterations. Instead, this is the Last Son of Krypton who grew up with a pet, and this fresh dynamic allows League of Super-Pets to tell a unique story about this iconic DC hero that cares so much for Krypto.
In addition, showcasing a vulnerable Superman who protects the world, the love of his life (Lois Lane), and his best friend (Krypto) provides a compelling dynamic that could lead to an eventful narrative in League of Super-Pets.
DC League of Super-Pets is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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