In ‘Brightburn,’ married couple Tori and Kyle Breyer have had their fair share of struggles when it comes to conceiving a child of their own. Their parenthood dreams come true when they come across a mysterious baby boy on a spaceship. They adopt the extraterrestrial baby, naming him Brandon Breyer, and raise him as their own. Once a bright and talented boy, Brandon discovers that he has superpowers right when he is on the verge of puberty.
After he turns 12, the young boy of extraterrestrial origin uses his powers for sinister and destructive purposes, letting them consume him. As a result, the ones closest to him, including his adoptive parents, Tori and Kyle, must be ready to deal with his wrath and do everything they can to pacify him. Directed by David Yarovesky, the science fiction horror drama movie features a talented ensemble cast comprising Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, and Meredith Hagner. The thrilling tale of Brandon and his destructive powers unfolds in Kansas, where the havoc caused by the extraterrestrial boy wreaks havoc.
Brightburn Filming Locations
Although ‘Brightburn’ is set in Kansas, it was actually filmed entirely in Georgia, particularly in Metro Atlanta. According to reports, principal photography for the supernatural movie got underway in March 2018 and lasted for a couple of months before wrapping up in May of the same year. Jackson A. Dunn, who portrays Brandon Beyer, talked about working with other cast members, including Elizabeth Banks and David Denman, in an interview with Horror News Network (HNN). He said, “Elizabeth Banks and David Denman are both incredible actors. It was beneficial for me to see them first-hand and be able to bounce ideas off of them. To be able to see what things they did that I should include in my repertoire of acting abilities. As people, they are both amazing. David went the extra mile to treat me as an equal.”
Metro Atlanta, Georgia
All the pivotal sequences for ‘Brightburn’ were reportedly lensed in different parts across Metro Atlanta. For instance, to tape the middle school scenes involving Brandon, the filming unit set up camp at the now-defunct Patrick Henry High School at 109 South Lee Street in the city of Stockbridge. Interestingly, the same site also doubles for Hawkins Middle and Hawkins High Schools in ‘Stranger Things.’ The portions involving the Breyer Farmhouse were shot in and around the Goodwyn-Bailey House at 2295 Old Poplar Road in the city of Newnan.
The cast and crew members of the thriller film were also spotted recording important scenes involving Darbo’s Family Grill in and around the property at 121 Jonesboro Road in the city of Jonesboro. During a conversation with Daily Dead, Jackson A. Dunn opened up about one of his favorite scenes in the film. He stated, “…the scene where I dropped Noah’s truck, we had a 100-foot, maybe taller, crane with a stripped Ford Bronco hanging from it. That was a blast! It was 10:00 pm, and they dropped the truck from 100 feet in the air and watched it crush like a soda can, so that was one of the most exhilarating moments.”
In an interview with Comic Book Movie, director David Yarovesky was asked to discuss his process of shooting the eye scene in the movie. He revealed that they primarily combined the use of practical and digital effects. “For example, we built a replica of her head. We built an eye, and we built a piece of glass to stick in that eye. We went through a pretty elaborate process of what kind of fluid would come out of her eye because the juice in your eye is not blood. I’m sure the doctor has a very medical term for it, but we were just calling it eye juice, and that is a different thing than blood, so it was important to me that you could see the separation of eye juice and blood,” he said.
Moreover, he added, “All of those things are practical elements, so we shoot it all practically, and then we shoot her head, and then we shoot the actress reacting and wincing to it. We use parts of the fake glass going into her fake eye, add the eye juice and blood, and then use the digital aspects to clean up the scenes, and then attach her real reactions to the fake head.” Apart from ‘Brightburn,’ Metro Atlanta has hosted the production of numerous film and TV projects over the years. Some of the notable ones include ‘Weapons,’ ‘Doctor Sleep,’ ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,’ ‘They Live,’ ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ ‘The Walking Dead,’ and ‘Stranger Things.’
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