Is Brightburn 2 Really Being Written By AI? Producer James Gunn Responds

As the new head honcho at DC Films, James Gunn is uniquely positioned to usher in a new age of superhero projects. He'll direct "Superman: Legacy," but he's already well-acquainted with big-budget tentpoles. He helmed the entire "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy for Marvel and already has a foot in DC's waters after directing 2021's "The Suicide Squad." He's also associated with superhero movies not based on comic books, seeing how he produced 2019's "Brightburn."

The movie's more of a horror story than a superhero one, which basically tells an inverse of Superman's origin to horrific results. It was definitely a team effort to bring the unique story to fruition, with one of the production companies being The H Collective. The company recently found itself in the headlines with Deadline reporting how it would launch H3 Entertainment. But this isn't just any old studio, as it will reportedly "integrate the Metaverse, Web3 and AI into a slate of films."

AI is a delicate issue in the entertainment industry, and founders Mark Rau and Kent Huang have gotten ahead of the subject by stating how their model will "respect professionals and fans while promoting responsible technology integration." Still, fans are worried if projects, including the announced "Brightburn 2," will incorporate AI in something like the writing process. Fortunately, James Gunn has shut down such rumors on Bluesky. When one fan asked if an article referring to AI being used to write the script for "Brightburn 2" was "fake news," Gunn definitively stated, "Yep."

James Gunn/Bluesky

The Deadline article doesn't reference AI specifically being used to write the "Brightburn 2" script, but fans are naturally wary when AI comes up around film and television discussions. In fact, the Deadline piece has a quote from Mark Rau, where he explicitly mentions how they don't want to replace human workers when developing new projects: "Incorporating new technologies into our workflow is about enhancing and complementing, not replacing the human touch in filmmaking. Our primary commitment remains with our skilled workforce. We are determined to use technology to assist, not overshadow, the irreplaceable human touch in cinema."

Still, people have a tendency to be worried about this kind of thing. Elsewhere on Bluesky, someone else pleaded with James Gunn not to use AI in screenwriting, to which Gunn responded, "Don't worry, this would never happen."

James Gunn/Bluesky

It'll be interesting to see how H3 Entertainment plans on using AI in filmmaking if they wish to circumnavigate any ethical issues with replacing human artists. But AI isn't the only tech buzzword H3 Entertainment is interested in. H3 has also stated how it wants to "introduce new revenue avenues through Web3 and the Metaverse, creating a fairer and more inclusive profit-sharing entertainment model for stakeholders like talent, fans, and IP holders to benefit and participate."

H3 already has a slate of projects in the works in addition to "Brightburn 2." The team also wants to develop a family movie called "Prince of the Seas" and a fourth installment of the "xXx" franchise. As long as actual artists are on board, there's plenty for people to get excited about.