Director David Yarovesky addresses his collaboration with James Gunn on the Superman-inspired horror movie Brightburn and reveals whether he’d like to reunite with Gunn on a DCU project. In 2019, David Yarovesky directed and James Gunn wrote the superhero horror Brightburn, which centers around a kid with very similar powers to Superman. But instead of using his immense power to protect people and fight crime, Brandon Breyer attacks his adoptive family and causes a major tragedy in his hometown. Brightburn precedes James Gunn’s first DC project, The Suicide Squad, by only two years, and it precedes James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie by six years.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Brightburn director David Yarovesky recalls working with James Gunn on a similar movie to the one Gunn is currently making for the DCU, describing Brightburn as the “punk rock anti-establishment” version of Superman. Yarovesky praises Gunn, says he would like to enter “the DC world,” and leaves the door open for another project similar to Brightburn. Read Yarovesky’s full response below:

“Am I trying to get into the DC world? Yeah. I mean, if the right thing came along. It’s just about if the right thing comes along, I’d love to work with James again. He’s my mentor. I adore James, and he has been incredible to me. That’s really what it is–finding that right thing. But it could happen. He’s been really spending a lot of time making a movie called Superman, and it’s so funny that we made Brightburn and now he’s making Superman. It’s like we were kind of the punk rock anti-establishment thing… so, I don’t know. It changes the tone of what it is, but if ever someone reaches out to me and says, “Hey, we’re going to do another Brightburn”, the answer is already Yes. I would love to do it, and I’d love to work with James, and if I’m lucky enough to be working at DC, that’d be pretty cool too.”

What David Yarovesky’s DC Comments Mean

David Yarovesky’s Previous Work With James Gunn Makes Him A Great Candidate For A DCU Project

James Gunn’s Superman is evidently the complete opposite of David Yarovesky’s Brightburn, not only in terms of tone and genre, but also in terms of scope and interconnectivity with an expansive franchise. Still, Brightburn is a successful experiment that proved how Superman’s mythos can work in different genres. While Brightburn 2 is unlikely to happen anytime soon, David Yarovesky and James Gunn could put their horror roots to work once again, this time on a DCU movie or show. The DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” chapter is introducing horror-inspired characters like Clayface and Swamp Thing‘s тιтular characters. Other DC characters could get the same treatment in a DCU project written by James Gunn and directed by David Yarovesky.

Our Take On David Yarovesky’s DC Comments

Several DC Characters Could Suit David Yarovesky’s Take On Brightburn

Brightburn not only proves David Yarovesky and James Gunn’s talent for horror, but it also serves as a test of their creativity with DC characters. After Yarovesky and Gunn showed how a full-fledged Superman horror movie could work, both could do the same with other comic book characters, this time using the actual source material and in an official DC project. DC Comics provides decades’ worth of horror-inspired heroes, villains, and stories. In fact, James Gunn himself has already written a DCU тιтle with horror roots — Creature Commandos, which presents a team of legendary creatures like Eric Frankenstein and the Bride.

DC characters who could get a horror movie or show from Davir Yarovesky and James Gunn include Solomon Grundy, Raven, Scarecrow, Etrigan the Demon, and Man-Bat. Justice League Dark, which spent years in development hell before the DCU reboot, would also be an ideal option for Brightburn‘s director. Otherwise, DC characters not traditionally ᴀssociated with the horror genre could receive the Brightburn treatment. For instance, Davir Yarovesky and James Gunn could make a solo movie where characters like Jason Todd, Metallo, the Spectre, and the Yellow Lanterns’ darker elements are enhanced.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

• 
  
  

  
  

  Superman

  Release Date

  
  July 11, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  Release Date

  
  June 26, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  
  October 1, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse