DC Studios has officially confirmed its Robin. IGN reports that studio co-head Peter Safran told Collider that How to Train Your Dragon star Mason Thames plays Dick Grayson in the animated Dynamic Duo. The casting isn’t a surprise. TheWrap reported it weeks ago, and Thames hinted at it with an Instagram story of Nightwing comics. Safran’s comments are the first on-the-record confirmation from the studio.
Why Thames got the part
Safran said Thames won the role by wanting it badly. “We always talk about wanting volunteers and not recruits to be part of the DCU,” he told Collider. CBR’s write-up quotes him adding that “Mason always wanted to be Dick Grayson.” He described an actor who nailed the audition and arrived at the DC offices with his dad, keen to photograph the studio’s archive of memorabilia.
What Dynamic Duo is
The film follows Dick Grayson and Jason Todd in their earliest days as Robins, so IGN expects Thames to play the character while he’s still in the Boy Wonder role. That means Nightwing and Red Hood probably won’t appear, at least not at first. The reported supporting cast includes Logan Kim as Jason Todd, with Lee Pace and Steve Buscemi voicing Red Hood One and Red Hood Two. Safran didn’t mention those names in the interview, and CBR notes they remain reported rather than confirmed by him.
The look is the bigger talking point. IGN says the film combines traditional CGI animation with stop motion and puppetry, using technology from New Orleans studio Swaybox. Safran said the Swaybox approach is “as original today as Pixar was when it did Toy Story”. He argued that shooting puppets with real cameras, then adding a CGI overlay, gives the action a “visceral” quality that animation alone can’t capture. He credited Swaybox founders Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson with the result.
What we still don’t know
Nobody has said who voices Batman, or whether the two Robins get a mentor at all. IGN notes that James Gunn recently said the search for the DCU’s Batman will begin soon, and that he wants someone around the age of Superman star David Corenswet. Gunn has also said he expects actors to play their roles across live-action and animation. On that basis, IGN speculates that the next Batman could voice the part here and that Thames could eventually play Nightwing in live-action. Neither is confirmed.
Dynamic Duo is dated for 22 September 2028, moved from 30 June. We haven’t seen a UAE or wider GCC release date yet.
Is Mason Thames playing Robin in live-action?
No. The role is in Dynamic Duo, a puppet-and-CGI animated film. IGN says Thames could play Nightwing in live-action later, but that’s speculation.
Will Nightwing or Red Hood appear in Dynamic Duo?
Probably not early on. The film covers Dick Grayson and Jason Todd as the first two Robins, so those later identities may not feature.
When does Dynamic Duo come out?
The film is set for theatres on 22 September 2028. No UAE or GCC date has been announced.
