As questions about the fate of Warner Bros. and DC Studios continue to circulate in the face of a monumental merger, one thing is for sure: Kara Zor-El is about to put the DC fandom under her bright red boot and press as hard as she can. That’s right, folks! Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for, as the first genuine look at Supergirl breaks the internet, reminding us that the era of Gods and Monsters is upon us!
After months of anticipation and some teasing on James Gunn’s behalf, a teaser trailer for Supergirl is here, and it’s packing enough punk rock energy to make fans of comic book cinema raise their horns in celebration and prepare themselves for a version of Kara Zor-El their parents won’t recognize.
What’s Supergirl about?
Supergirl will be directed by Craig Gillespie and scripted by Ana Nogueira. It’s based on the comic series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. After her father is murdered and the one responsible is still out there, a young alien girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll seeks out Supergirl to help her on a vicious mission. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost.
Who stars in the movie?
Supergirl stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Emily Beechum as Alura, Jason Momoa as Lobo, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, and Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll.
Ahead of today’s trailer reveal, we were lucky enough to attend a spirited Q&A hosted by James Gunn, featuring Milly Alcock and Supergirl director Craig Gillespie. During the event, Gunn posed a variety of questions to the duo, giving us more insight into Alcock’s version of Kara and Gillespie’s unique vision for the film.
Why Supergirl? Why now? Why Craig? Why Milly?
Gunn: When Ana Nogueira wrote the Woman of Tomorrow script, it was fantastic. And at DC Studios, we care most about the writing. And so we just instantly greenlit the movie. Now, it was something that I was very interested in making from before we even took over DC Studios.
I remember when the novel first came out, the graphic novel first came out before, when Peter and I were kind of talking about taking over DC, but hadn’t decided yet. I called Peter. I said, “Have you seen this book by Tom King, Woman of Tomorrow?” Told him how great it was, what an interesting take it was on Supergirl. And I said, “You know who would be great? You’ve seen that little blind girl in House of the Dragon? I think she would be great because it’s a rock and roll Supergirl.”
Regarding Craig as the ideal director for Supergirl, Gunn said, “Craig is one of my favorite directors, has been for a long time. He directed I, Tonya, which was my favorite movie from that year, but also many other movies that I enjoyed. And so when he threw his hat in the ring to direct this film, we were more than interested, and now here we are.”
Craig Gillespie on the challenges of making such an iconic superhero come to life on the silver screen
Gillespie: It’s twofold for me. One, when I heard that James and Peter were taking over DC, I was very interested because I love James’s work. I love the tone. I feel a kinship with James’s sensibility, which aligns with what I like to do. And I’ve always really admired that. The idea that they would now take over the studio felt like a huge opportunity. And then the script came along, and Ana’s script was so good. And the tone of it was the first time I’ve actually read a superhero script that I could understand and know what to do with it.
And I was all in. So, trying to then come in and see you guys and convince you. And then thirdly, Milly had already been cast. And I went and did my homework on Milly, and I watched the Australian television she’s done. I was already familiar with House of the Dragon, and I couldn’t be more excited about her as a lead. It’s a huge… That combination, that script with Milly, with you guys overseeing it, because the script goes to some very dark and hard places for the character. And I felt like you guys would double down on that. Milly, tonally, was perfect for it. And she’s got this vulnerability and this humor and this accessibility, but the strength and this seraphic nature that’s built into just her DNA that was perfect. So the whole combination, I just couldn’t wait to get in there and make my case.
Milly Alcock on comparing Supergirl to Superman
Alcock: She’s had a completely different upbringing. She was brought up on a planet that was dying. Everyone that she’s ever known and loved is dead. So that creates a very cynical, tough… She doesn’t trust a lot of people. She’s got a wall up. She’s got a very big wall up, and she’s very skeptical of people. And Clark is the opposite of that. He’s very overtly trusting. He expects the good in people. He’s had a very sheltered life and he’s also pretending. Kara never pretends. If she’s not feeling well, you will know. She doesn’t have a facade, which is really refreshing, actually, to play.
Gillespie on what Alcock brings to the role of Supergirl
Gillespie: She’s a rebellious spirit, Milly. And this character, she’s got a lot of armor and she uses her humor and her cynicism to protect herself. And there’s a real punk quality to it, and Milly just embraced all of it. It’s so effortless for her to dive into that role and do it with a certain sense of
compassion underneath, but you can feel the vulnerability, you can feel the fractures in what she’s struggling with, but she still has a toughness to it. And it’s a tricky dance. Tonally, it’s always a very tricky thing to find an actor who can do that dance of being in and out of the humor, but being grounded and feeling like it’s coming from an emotional place. And she does that beautifully.
What do you think about the Supergirl teaser trailer? Are you more excited about the film than you were before? Did you catch Jason Momoa’s Lobo in the footage? Let us know in the comments section below.
DC Studios’ Supergirl comes to theaters on June 26, 2026.
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DC Studios
