James Gunn releases Evil Superboy Elseworlds TRAILER called BRIGHTBURN?!!

So a new trailer just broke 15 minutes ago called BRIGHTBURN, labeled as produced by James Gunn.

Here is the trailer:

Okay.

So you do not have to be a superhero fan to recognize that this is the Superman/Superboy origin, except uh— evil.

Very clearly from the crashing ship, to the couple on the farm who discover a child they always wanted, to the ship buried in the barn, to the red cape , to the powers, these are very familiar Superman/Superboy tropes.

Now if this was April 1st I would say someone is having a laugh and this is an April Fool’s Day prank.

Why?

Because if I was DC, I would say… ” WTF?? Are you kidding, you are going to rename the characters and do an Elseworlds SUPERBOY story without paying us???!”

Actually, I love it.

I hope it is real, and there are enough changes that Gunn gets away with it. I think the concept of SUPERMAN not being in public domain after 80 years is simply ridiculous. So good on James Gunn if this trailer is legit.

It would not be the first evil superhero film to skate under the radar. Adam Wingard’s brilliant 2014 action film THE GUEST, very much is the tale of an evil Steve Rogers/Captain America, an evil Super Soldier.  And there is another mainstream film out there that plays either as a Joker origin story, or an evil Bruce Wayne story.

So these mash-ups do happen. I mean there is a reason that Copyright was set at 50 years. The lawmakers in their wisdom understood that if an idea had persisted after five decades it had become, like Robin Hood, or Mark Twain, or the three Musketeers, an indelible part of the cultural conversation and zeitgeist. And as such usable by all.

So yeah I don’t know if BRIGHTBURN is a real movie, or Gunn just having a laugh, either way I enjoyed him releasing the trailer!!

SUPERBOY THE SERIES vs SMALLVILLE

Superboy – The Complete First Season

I liked the first three seasons of Smallville. However from season 4 on of Smallville, I thought it became pretty god-awful and stayed that way. I would peek in on the occasional episode, I saw probably 5 or 6 of them across the remaining 6 seasons of the series. But every-time I looked in on the show, it just convinced me I was correct to stay away.

However rewinding the clock back to the late 80s, there was a live action Superboy series that managed to be fun for its full 4 season run. Called THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, after 20years the series is finally available on DVD. At least the first season is.

The first season starts off for most of its run as very campy, really silly, stuff, though it’s still harmless fun, and it begins to hit its stride in the last several episodes of Season 1. But honestly it’s not till Season 2, that the show gets really friggin good. With a new actor playing Clark, and a better chemistry between all involved. And in seasons 3 and season 4 the show gets friggin GREAT, as Clark and Lois, in a show that predates the X-Files, intern at a Paranormal Bureau of Investigation handling all manner of oddities and monstrosities.

Seasons 2-4 are much more sophisticated seasons, and far better written than season 1, and of particular acclaim are some of the episodes with Luther and Bizarro and Metallo. Season 2-4 are better than any season of SMALLVILLE I’ve seen, and of course better than the atrocious LOIS & CLARK series.

These later episodes of the ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY are quite brilliant and quite touching. Particularly as the show winds to a close, due to an unfortunately forced demise. The demise is interesting in that the ratings were great, and two additional seasons were planned as well as movies, but Warner Brothers stepped in and sued the show out of existence.

And even today 20 years later, the whole series is not available on DVD. Warner Brothers wanting nothing on the market to show up their crappy SMALLVILLE. It’s a shame because the loser is the viewer.

So a series that doesn’t get its due, not just for being one of the best live-action interpretations of the Kal-El myth, but a highly influential show in terms of being the template for shows such as X-FILES, really deserves to have its other seasons on DVD.

But unfortunately all that is currently available is Season 1. I mean I recommend getting Season 1, like I say it’s good in places, but it is very much the adventures of a Superboy in High-school, Season 2-4 is a completely different, and better animal.

I of course have all the seasons available on VHS (sorry to rub it in! “But they are real… And they are Fabulous!” 🙂 [One of the few Seinfeld jokes I’ll quote. Michael Richards soured me on that show] I got them years ago, before the crackdown), but yeah a DVD release is definitely needed. In the interim Season 1 is available on sale for OVER 70% off!!!

At the price, it’s a no brainer. Grab your copy and thank me later. 🙂
Superboy – The Complete First Season

Get info about all four seasons here!
And here’s the latest discussion on the DVD fate of seasons 2-4. But in short Warner Brothers are, as always, the problem.

It’s just a dick move, to keep this great television hidden away from people for decades; to try and sell your sub-par garbage. It’s just sad.

Man, I have to go watch my episodes of Superboy Seasons 2-4, just to make myself feel better. (Yes, I am rubbing it in aren’t I?!! I’m so evil!!! But they are so good!!! :))

Superboy – The Complete First Season

Oh and for my money… Stacey Haiduk… BEST… LANA LANG… EVER!!! You don’t see it in the first season too much, but seasons 2-4 she…. (swoon)…. is the greatest :).. But seriously, she’s not annoying harpy, not a crying damsel in distress, not overbearing and bossy, she’s just perfect.

See for yourself.