Brightburn star Jackson A. Dunn wants the sequel to his superhero horror film to feature more unknown actors in key roles. When it first released in May 2019, Brightburn turned heads with its unique and violent take on the superhero genre. The premise was simple: Superman, but evil. The actor hired to fulfill this task, Dunn, delivered an incredible performance in the role of a child supervillain, and his acting is cited as one of the film’s strongest elements. It takes considerable skill to be sympathetic and pitiable while brutally murdering innocent people, but Dunn elevated the work with his dedication to the craft.
With rumblings of a Brightburn sequel making the rounds in Hollywood, many are wondering how a prospective continuation will handle the supervillains teased by Brightburn’s ending and mid-credits scene. If they are to play a key role in an expansion to the Brightburn universe, who will the film studio hire to play the villainous takes on Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and others?
In an interview with Screen Rant, Jackson A. Dunn was asked how he would like to see the casting of new characters handled in the hypothetical Brightburn sequel. When asked who he would like to see cast in those roles, the young actor responded:
As he says, Dunn himself was not a household name when he was cast in the title role of a studio film. While Brightburn did have the bankable Elizabeth Banks in one of the lead roles, the studio still took a risk with Dunn but it paid off. Directed by David Yarovesky, Brightburn saw moderate success at the box office, grossing over $32 million worldwide on a budget of just $6 million. Those may not have been blockbuster results, but since Sony kept costs down, the film didn’t need to become a massive hit to turn a profit for the studio.
“The thing is, when I was cast in the role, I wasn’t a name that would have been said in terms of ‘Oh yeah, he can play it.’ I was someone who was found for this role. I got a lot of my come up through this role. So I’d like to see more up-and-coming actors embraced with this universe, if we were to continue with that.”
The end of the film teases the appearance of new supervillains who are clearly based on Justice League members Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter (perhaps with Crimson Bolt filling in for Batman), and actors will be required to play those roles should a sequel officially move forward. If Dunn has his way, the ranks of the Evil Justice League won’t be filled with A-list stars, but with talented unknowns like himself who may wind up becoming huge names if the movie works out. Hopefully, fans of Brightburn won’t have to wait too long before a sequel is formally announced. Perhaps, Sony is waiting to see how home video sales and rentals turn out before officially giving the green light to a new entry in the prospective franchise.
Brightburn is now available digitally and releases August 20 on Blu-ray.
More: Brightburn’s Critics Missed the Point: Evil Superman Wouldn’t Be Complex
