During 2018’s San Diego Comic-Con, everyone was abuzz with James Gunn’s next secret, non-Marvel project. However, details about it and a potential trailer were never revealed, after his Twitter scandal caused him to cancel his appearance at the yearly event. However, the first trailer was released today, and the story is essentially the same as Superman’s, but with a horrific twist.
The movie is titled Brightburn, and it’s written by Brian and Mark Gunn, produced by James Gunn, and directed by David Yarovesky, who worked with Gunn on the video short Guardians of the Galaxy: Inferno. In the trailer–which you can see above–a wife (Elizabeth Banks) and husband (David Denman) were unsuccessful at having a child, but one night, a meteor hits near their farm, and they find a baby. This sounds familiar, right? That’s because it’s the story of the iconic DC superhero, Superman.
However, from there, it takes a horrific twist. As this child–Brandon Breyer–grows older, into his teen years, something awakens in him, and it’s more than just superpowers. He puts on a mask, has a cape, and starts tormenting and stalking people, using his powers–in a sense–for evil. It’s an age-old tale we know that takes things in a really interesting direction.
The first trailer is an unsettling mixture of the superhero tale with a supernatural slasher horror film. This unique take on the superhero genre has my attention, which is especially tough with movies like Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame being the talk of the town as of late. While comic book fans have seen Superman as the villain before, like in Red Son, I can’t think of a story that’s tapped into the potential horror of the character.
Brightburn comes out on Monday, May 27, 2019. Seeing as it’s a Monday release, we are unsure at this time if it will be a theatrical or streaming release. However, those in the UK and Ireland get to see it a few days earlier, when it opens at cinemas on May 24, 2019.