Before ‘Superman,’ James Gunn Made a Gritty Sci-Fi Thriller That's Officially Leaving Streaming

5 days ago 17

Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon looking intimidating in his costume in Brightburn

Published Oct 18, 2026, 4:40 AM EDT

Rohan Naahar is a News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Before he took over DC Studios as the co-CEO and directed a Superman reboot that espoused kindness and humanity, James Gunn produced a dark take on the character's mythos. The movie embodied every cynical idea that one could have about Superman. Instead of portraying the archetype as a beacon of hope, the movie depicted him as a Carrie White-like figure who becomes violent because of childhood alienation and bullying. The movie was released to mixed reviews and mediocre box-office reception in 2019, serving as a bridge between Zack Snyder's divisive Man of Steel and Gunn's own colorful Superman. It's now streaming on Peacock, but only for a little while longer.

Directed by David Yarovesky, the film was a Gunn family affair. It was written by Gunn's brother and cousin, with his wife Jennifer Holland in a supporting role. Also featured were his frequent collaborators Michael Rooker and Steve Agee. Only a couple of years later, Gunn would find himself directing an official DC movie — The Suicide Squad. This happened between his firing and rehiring by Disney as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. A lifelong comic book fan, Gunn is now in charge of creating a new universe of DC movies, which will continue next week with the horror film Clayface.

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But we're talking about Brightburn, starring Elizabeth Banks and David Denman as a couple who adopt an alien child, played as a teenager by Jackson A. Dunn. The movie grossed around $33 million worldwide against a reported budget of $6 million, and is now sitting at a 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website's consensus reads, "Although Brightburn doesn't fully deliver on the pitch-black promise of its setup, it's still enough to offer a diverting subversion of the superhero genre." By comparison, the very similar film Chronicle grossed $125 million globally in 2012 and scored an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Gunn is now working on a sequel to his Superman movie, titled Man of Tomorrow. You can watch Brightburn on Peacock until November 1, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.