Brightburn 2

Brightburn 2 is a 2021 American superhero horror film produced by James Gunn and directed by David Yarovesky. It is the sequel to Brightburn. In the film, set shortly after the end of the previous film, Brandon Breyer/Brightburn (Dunn) starts to question himself on if he wants to use his powers for good or evil while contending with Arthur Walterson/Cy-Bot (Dafoe), who is out hunting for Brightburn.

A sequel was greenlit shortly after the release of the first film, and while the cast of the previous film returned, Cy-Bot was confirmed to be included as the film's villain. Filming took place from June 2019 to December 2019. Brightburn 2 was released on October 31, 2021. he film received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the horror elements, concept, and the performances of Jackson A. Dunn, Willem Dafoe, and Emmie Hunter, with many considering the film an improvement over it's predecessor. A third film is set to be released on April 8th, 2024.

Plot
Shortly after starting his murder rampage, Brandon, now known as Brightburn, starts to ask himself if this is what he's destined for. Meanwhile, he learns that everyone he killed was resurrected by an unknown force, and flies to his home. He sees his parents, and asks himself what he should do with his powers. Kyle assures him that he has a choice on what to do with them, and Brandon responds with a hug.

Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, Arthur Walterson, now calling himself Cy-Bot after he was given cybernetic augmentations due to the plane crash, walks into the room, and says he only wants to help collect Brightburn and bring him before them in exchange for money. The Pentagon officials are in agreement, and they entrust him with the mission. Cy-Bot flies off to begin his hunt. Meanwhile, Brightburn is in the middle of foiling a bank robbery, which he decided to stop after repairing the damage he caused. Brightburn then uses his heat vision to burn the robber's clothes, causing them to jump in a puddle, and are cooling off as they are arrested. Brightburn then flies back to his home, and is stunned by Cy-Bot using a sonic blaster arm. Before he can be taken to the Pentagon, Brightburn hears about an armored truck being hijacked, and flies off to stop the hijackers, much to Cy-Bot's fury.

After stopping the hijacking and leaving the scene, the media has cemented Brightburn as a hero. When the Pentagon sees the footage of Brightburn's heroic acts, they terminate their hunt for people with superpowers, much to Cy-Bot's fury, and he destroys the entire room with his sonic blaster arm. At school, Brandon's grades cause him to gain respect from most of his classmates, except Caitlyn, whose hand had healed, but is still upset at Brandon for her mother's demise. Unknown to them, during P.E, Cy-Bot was watching, and scanned Caitlyn, revealing Brandon's obsession with her.

Without warning, Cy-Bot breaks into the Connor house. Erica tried to fend him off, only to be blasted away by Cy-Bot's sonic cannon arms. As he flew away with Caitlyn, she was screaming, causing Brandon to put on his costume and fly off in pursuit. At the highway bridge, Cy-Bot sticks out his knife arm and decides to slit Caitlyn's throat in a bid to emotionally scar Brightburn unless he surrenders. After his refusal, Brightburn saves Caitlyn and tells her to stay far away from the bridge for her own safety, and both Brightburn and Cy-Bot start fighting. Their powers and abilities match each other, but as Cy-Bot pins Brightburn to the ground, he gloats about the money, only for Brightburn to use his technopathy and his heat vision, causing Cy-Bot to melt into a pile of goop, killing him.

With Cy-Bot dead, the entire town of Brightburn, Kansas is hailing Brightburn as a hero. After taking off his mask in a forest, Brandon is approached by Erica, who forgives him for killing her and for breaking Caitlyn's hand. Caitlyn runs to Brandon and gives him a small kiss on his left cheek as a thank you for having her back during the battle.

Four years later, Brandon's 16th birthday celebration is happening at the Breyer house, where Kyle told Merilee that during Brandon's first quarter in high school, he and Caitlyn started a relationship. When Brandon opens the present, it's a new pair of headphones. He is happy, and Caitlyn approaches. She wishes Brandon a happy birthday, and they kiss.

Mid-credits scene: Brightburn is approached by the Crimson Bolt, and after their conversation about Caitlyn Connor, Crimson Bolt agrees to let him know when the threat arrives.

Cast
Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon Breyer / Brightburn: a superpowered alien who is adopted by the Breyer family.

Emmie Hunter as Caitlyn Connor: a girl who was scared of Brandon, and is now his girlfriend.

Willem Dafoe as Arthur Walterson/Cy-Bot: a mechanically-modified being who was sent to hunt and capture Brightburn. Dafoe loved the characterization of Cy-Bot.

Rainn Wilson as Frank Darbo/Crimson Dynamo

Jennifer Holland as Brandon's P.E teacher

Elizabeth Banks as Tori Breyer: Brandon's adoptive mother and Kyle's wife

David Denman as Kyle Breyer: Brandon's adoptive father and Tori's husband

Meredith Hagner as Merilee McNichol: Tori's sister, Brandon's aunt and Noah's wife who works as Brandon's school counselor

Matt Jones as Noah McNichol: Brandon's uncle and Merilee's husband

Becky Wahlstrom as Erica Connor: who respects Brandon after the main events of the film

Development
Shortly after the release of the first film, director David Yarovesky greenlit the sequel, and most of the cast agreed to return. After Emmie Hunter talked about her role as Caitlyn Connor on a podcast, Willem Dafoe signed on as Arthur Walterson/Cy-Bot, the film's main villain. Like the first film, it was given an R rating for horror violence/bloody images, and language. While Brandon and Caitlyn are kissing, Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division plays. During the credits, Indestructible by Disturbed plays. After returning to the credits, The Vengeful One by Disturbed is playing.

Theatrical
After well-thought-out planning, the film was released on October 31st, 2021, just on Halloween.

Home video
The film was released on January 6th, 2022, on DVD and Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray release contains three bonus features

1: Making a hero: Jackson A. Dunn and Willem Dafoe talk making Brightburn a hero.

2: Emmie Hunter gives her commentary on the film

3: Two deleted scenes

The film was released on Digital and 4K Ultra HD on May 27th, 2023.

Box office
The film grossed 14 million dollar production budget. It was the highest-grossing film after outgrossing Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith by $100 million.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 98%, with an average rating of 9.8/10. Critics stated that this "was the best film for Brightburn's redemption." Kambole Campbell at Empire Online gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, stating that the film "takes the part of Brightburn that is evil, then throws it out and makes him into who he wants to be."

Sequel
David Yarovesky has confirmed that he will return to direct the third film, and after Jackson A. Dunn expressed interest in returning as Brandon Breyer/Brightburn, Yarovesky started to look for either Michael Keaton or Patrick Wilson to take the role as the film's villain.