‘Brightburn’ Trailer: James Gunn Presents ‘Superboy’ as a Horror Movie
Originally intended to be announced at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the unveiling of the James Gunn-produced horror movie Brightburn was delayed when some of Gunn’s earlier jokes (featuring inappropriate and outright creepy humor) resurfaced, which also got him fired from the director’s chair for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But now, we finally get to see what the horror movie he’s produced is about… And it’s a dark, horrifying parody of Superboy.
The first half of the trailer starts off pretty simple, acting as a clear homage to the kind of cinematography the Smallville scenes in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel had, even down to having peaceful, ambient music and how it credits James Gunn (who previously penned Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake). A pair of farmers wanting a child are blessed with a young boy in an alien capsule, later telling him about his origin years afterward as he learns about his powers. You might be forgiven for thinking that it’s another Superman reboot. Then… Things get dark. Really dark.
See, there’s something off about little Brandon Breyer. Not simply because of his extraterrestrial origins or his subsequent superpowers, no. For whatever reason, he finds himself drawn back to the escape pod that he was discovered in after years of spending time with his adoptive family, and after that point, he starts demonstrating seriously unhealthy behavior for a child. He appears to become obsessed with assuming an alter-ego that he calls “Brightburn”, and decides to start using his powers for something antithetical to the ideals of upholding Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
Watch the trailer below:
This certainly came out of nowhere, and I, for one, can’t wait to see where it goes. Using the template for a Superman origin to create a tale of psychological horror and family drama is something that hasn’t really been tried on film before, and it seems like this project has a lot of potential not just as a scary movie, but as a the growing supervillain sub-genre of superhero movies.
Brightburn will be released on May 24, 2019.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
