Summary

• Brightburn 2 may not happen as James Gunn confirmed no current plans for the sequel.
• Development on Brightburn 2 was controversial due to the plans to include AI writing technology.
• Brightburn 2's potential cast remains uncertain because of the first film's high body count.

The first movie may have arrived years ago, but interest in Brightburn 2 is ongoing — and the genre-bending horror sequel could be just as dark and disturbing as its predecessor. Brightburn is an unofficial Superman re-imagining that explores the "what if" scenario of a character with similar abilities to the Man of Steel going down a dark and violent path from childhood. An alien boy named Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) grows up in small-town Kansas and discovers he has super-abilities, but puts them to evil purposes instead of good.

When the credits of Brightburn started rolling, it became clear that there were bigger plans in mind than a one-off superhero concept. A post-credits scene teases a much larger universe beyond Brightburn, and several comments made by James Gunn and other producers in the years since confirm that developments on Brightburn 2 have been made. Clarity on the potential cast, story, and release date, however, remains scarce for the Brightburn sequel.

Related: Brightburn: What Are The Other 5 Meteors? Every Theory Explained

Most Recent Brightburn 2 News

James Gunn Offers A Disappointing Update

Legal issues in filmmaking are rarely discussed so openly, but Gunn's latest revelation likely means doom for the sequel.

To further compound the bad news regarding the potential sequel, the latest update sees James Gunn explain why Brightburn 2 isn't happening. The acclaimed filmmaker responded to fan questions on the new social media platform Threads regarding the anti-superhero sequel, and he didn't offer hope. Of Brightburn 2, Gunn wrote "I mean we talked about it early on. But the rights are all f***ed up (I only own half) so it's unlikely that it will ever happen."

Legal issues in filmmaking are rarely discussed so openly, but Gunn's latest revelation likely means doom for the sequel. With the rights split up between different entities, it might not be worth the time, effort, and money it would take to create a sequel. With each passing year, demand for Brightburn 2 diminishes until it wouldn't be worth pursuing.

Brightburn 2 Is No Longer Confirmed

Mixed Messages On The Sequel's Status

Brightburn 2 was confirmed in 2019 by James Gunn (via MovieWeb), although there were few if any updates in the intervening years. However, the producer duo behind Brightburn, revealed in 2023 that development on the sequel was still ongoing, though it was also met with controversy because of the proposed use of AI writing technology amid the Hollywood strikes.

One of the key issues of the 2023 WGA writer strike concerned the rising use of AI technology to supplant the need for human writers on TV and movie projects.

In early 2024, months after the strikes were resolved, it seemed as if Brightburn 2's development had come to a halt entirely. James Gunn's revelation that no active work was being done on the film suggests the project might never get made, but it has not been officially canceled yet.

Brightburn 2 Cast

Who Could Return?

Since the project is still in uncertain territory, nothing is known about the cast. However, it's highly unlikely that most of the ensemble from Brightburn could return considering the overwhelming body count. It's assumed Jackson A. Dunn would return to play Brandon Breyer, A.K.A. Brightburn, although, since several years have passed in the real world, it would have to be an older version of the character to accommodate for the actor's natural aging. Another actor who could return is Michael Rooker, who appeared in the Brightburn post-credits scene as conspiracy theory blogger Big T.

Brightburn 2 Story

More Evil Superheroes Around The Globe

Brightburn includes a credits scene that offers some strong hints about the sequel's plot, and also introduces other evil versions of famous superhero archetypes who could show up in Brightburn 2. The Brightburn post-credits screen shows news footage of Brandon (now nicknamed Brightburn after his hometown) wreaking havoc, intercut with clips from a YouTube conspiracy theory show hosted by an Alex Jones-esque character known as The Big T.

According to multiple reports, there are similar super-human serial killers out there, including a half-sea creature, a half-man monster known for sinking ships, and a witch who uses rope to choke people and make them tell the truth. Since evil versions of Aquaman and Wonder Woman also exist in the Brightburn universe, they'd likely play a part in Brightburn 2.