The first trailer for James Gunn's evil superhero movie is here, and it's…something. I'm not gonna lie, gang. I'm not the biggest fan of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY director James Gunn. In my humble opinion, it seems like every time Gunn creates a profitable product, it seems strikingly similar, if not a complete replica, of something that's come before. Hear me out: the guy got his break on TROMERO AND JULIET, riffing on William Shakespeare whilst pushing forward the usual Lloyd Kaufman agenda. Then, Gunn gets praise for SLITHER, which is basically a pseudo remake of NIGHT OF THE CREEPS. Joss Whedon then comes out with a an unusual superhero movie for 2015 with Marvel's AVENGERS, adding tongue-in-cheek comedy to a world that Christopher Nolan had made popular with his DARK KNIGHT series for its broodiness. Yet somehow, when Gunn unleases his GUARDIANS, he gets credit for being the first to introduce such meta comedy into Marvel. To me, looking at the trailer for BRIGHTBURN feels like watching a poor man's version of Joe Hill's THE CAPE.
BRIGHTBURN is about a boy who discovers he has super powers, but instead of using them for good, he uses them for evil. That should sound pretty familiar if you know anything about Hill's 2012 graphic novel.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course. What do you think of the first trailer for this sinister Superman? Are you a fan of Gunn's previous work? Sound off in the comments section below and let us know!
Produced by James Gunn, written by Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn, and directed by David Yarovesky, the cast for BRIGHTBURN includes Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner, Gregory Alan Williams, Jennifer Holland, Elizabeth Becka, Becky Wahlstrom, Jackson A. Dunn, Terence Rosemore, Emmie Hunter, Stephen Blackehart, Christian Finlayson, Gwen Parrish, Annie Humphrey, Mike Dunston, and Leah Goodkind.
BRIGHTBURN crash lands in theaters May 24th, 2019.