How to Train Your Dragon star Mason Thames has been cast as Dick Grayson/Robin in DC’s upcoming Dynamic Duo movie.
The news has been rumored for a while, with Thames even teasing it on his socials earlier this year, but has been properly confirmed by DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. When speaking with Collider, Safran confirmed that Thames will play Dick Grayson in the animated film and that the actor aggressively pursued the role.
“We always talk about wanting volunteers and not recruits to be part of the DCU, to be part of DC Studios, and Mason always wanted to be Dick Grayson,” said Safran. “He just did. And he came in, and auditioned the s**t out of it, and was awesome. He’s a wonderful young actor, but boy, did he want this. He was just obsessed. When he came over to the DC offices, he came over with his dad at the time, and we’ve got tons of great archives and stuff in there, and wanted to take a picture of everything and with everything. He’s a fan.”
Thames is expected to play the character while he’s still Robin, as the film will follow Jason Todd and Dick Grayson in their earliest days. That means you shouldn’t expect Nightwing or Red Hood to appear, or perhaps not initially. Dynamic Duo is expected to be a pretty unique film, as it will blend traditional CGI animation with stop motion and puppetry. It’s unclear exactly how this will be executed, but the vision must be strong for DC to have greenlit the project. Safran also told Collider a bit about the technology they’re using to bring their ideas to life.
“I think that the Swaybox technology is as original today as Pixar was when it did Toy Story,” he said. “I really think it’s that different from anything that’s come before it. Even though it’s puppets with an overlay of CGI, the fact that it’s shot with real cameras brings a visceral nature to the action in a way that I don’t think animation itself ever can really capture. I am really, really excited for people to witness what Arthur [Mintz] and Theresa [Andersson], who are the Swaybox founders, have come up with. I think it’s really unusual and cool, and it’s a great way to tell a story.”
Not much else is known about the film, and it’s not totally clear if the two Robins will have a Batman to mentor them. James Gunn recently stated that the search for the DCU’s Batman will begin soon, and they’re looking for someone who is around the same age as Superman actor David Corenswet. Gunn had also previously stated when the DCU was just getting started that he expected actors to play their roles across all mediums, including live-action and animation. As a result, whoever gets cast as the next Batman may have a voice role in Dynamic Duo, but that’s pure speculation. Similarly, that could also mean Mason Thames may play Nightwing in live-action in the future, as well.
Dynamic Duo is slated to hit theaters on September 22, 2028.
Photo by Amy Sussman/WireImage
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
