James Gunn Addresses If He Had Any Issues with DC Comics over Brightburn’s Similarity to Superman

James Gunn-produced superhero horror Brightburn didn’t encounter resistance over its comparisons to DC Comics’ Superman, Gunn tells CinePop.

“Well no, because there’s a lot of similar stories that have been told in comic books over the years, from all sorts of different comic book publishers,” Gunn said when asked if he was worried the project would face complications from Warner Bros.-owned DC Comics. “And I have a pretty good relationship with DC [laughs].”

Penned by Gunn’s brother and cousin, Brian and Mark Gunn, the David Yarovesky-directed Brightburn reinterprets the familiar comic book origin story of Kal-El, later Clark Kent, a Krypton-born alien who crash lands on Earth and grows up to become its ultimate protector.

The Screen Gems feature focuses on human-looking alien Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) and his adoptive parents, Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman), who welcomed the child when he rocketed to Earth. But when Brandon nears puberty, his parents are unsettled to learn their son possesses incredible powers and even more sinister urges putting all of mankind in grave danger.

The Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker enters the DC universe with The Suicide Squad, set in the DC Extended Universe but sharing little connection with David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian, and Viola Davis will star.

“You know, these terms are all so narrow. There are so many terms,” Gunn told Entertainment Tonight when asked if the project is more reboot than sequel despite the return of Robbie’s Harley Quinn. “It is what it is. You’ll see in two years when it comes out.”

Gunn’s take is expected to be influenced by comic book creator John Ostrander, whose late ’80s Suicide Squad works were singled out by Gunn in an April Instagram post.

“I have been an enormous fan of #SuicideSquad in all its @DCComics incarnations – but to me there will always be something special about the #JohnOstrander run,” Gunn wrote when displaying his extensive collection. “Black ops military tales with disposable, often forgotten super villains?!” Gunn concluded by calling the run “pure perfection.”

Gunn will first complete work on The Suicide Squad before revisiting the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Warner Bros. has dated The Suicide Squad for August 6, 2021.