TAGGED AS: DC Universe, movies, Superheroes
Thanks to Superman and the second season of Peacemaker, James Gunn’s new DC Cinematic Universe — aka, the DCU — now has a firm underpinning of gods and monsters. But those two projects, along with the animated Creature Commandos, are just the first few pages of Gunn’s opening chapter. The next page is July’s Supergirl.
Of course, the film isn’t Kara Zor-El’s first silver screen outing. A 1984 film starring Helen Slater as Superman’s cousin failed to garner enough interest to keep her own series or even the then-current Superman films aloft. But Slater would be honored for her work by portraying Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) adoptive mother, Eliza Danvers, on The CW’s Supergirl series — a program that also proved the character can play well with other DC heroes like The Flash and the Legends of Tomorrow.
But both the ’84 film and the television series work with the best known interpretation of Kara. Gunn, from the moment he announced the new feature, made it clear the next Supergirl will be one most moviegoers will not expect. What does that mean for his overall DCU plans and will audiences welcome a less adorkable version of the character? Let’s take a look at what we know about the 2026 film so far and see if we can’t glean just how well Supergirl will be welcomed.
Unlike many of the announced DCU projects, Supergirl is based on one specific storyline: 2021’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Mat Lopes. Set entirely in space, it features a disgruntled Kara, who finds life on Earth difficult, drowning her sorrows when a young alien named Ruthye Marye Knoll approaches her with a mission to kill Krem of the Yellow Hills. The character previously murdered Ruthye’s father and she figured Supergirl would be the right sort of person to help end the marauder’s life. Kara is, of course, less interested until Krem makes things personal.
The two then embark on an interstellar journey to find Krem and, along the way, determine if vengeance is the right path or not.
It is the sort of plot that allows potential new fans to discover a Kara who is not as squeaky-clean as she’s been for most of her existence and a fresh cosmos filled with intergalactic travel, warlords, and a bounty hunter with a bad attitude (more on him in a moment).
Now, you can read Woman of Tomorrow. In fact, like the teaser released on December 11 suggests, you should, since it is both excellent and completely self-contained, like many of the books King writes for DC. But keep in mind that the movie will alter some elements. Based on the teaser, it seems one Superman character will carry into the film — Krypto! He’s in the book, too, but we’ll avoid spoilers about the famous superdog in both the comic and the film.
As revealed in the teaser, the film will open with Kara and Krypto celebrating her 23rd birthday on some alien world with a red son when Ruthye approaches them with her mission. And after a bar fight, or so it seems, Kara and Ruthye begin their quest.
Presuming the film will maintain Woman of Tomorrow’s all-space setting, prepare to experience new wonderful worlds and societies under crisis. Across the story’s eight issues, Kara and Ruthye visit at least six worlds. But we imagine the film will take the opportunity to establish some key planets out in the DCU cosmos. Worlds like Tamaran — homeworld of Teen Titans favorite Starfire — Cairn, Khundia, and Daxam could make special appearances as the journey continues. Two planets we doubt we’ll see, though, are Apokolips and New Genesis, the worlds of the New Gods, as Gunn seems ambivalent about introducing those characters. The teaser seems to focus on a single world full of grime and decay, the place place Kara and Ruthye first meet.
Of course, the worlds King, Evely, and Lopes outline in the original comic are striking in their beauty and alien-ness. Which, whether one reads the book or waits for the film, we imagine they will appreciate the locations they will discover in the tale. We also expect to spend at least a few minutes in Argo City, Kara’s home on Krypton. As glimpsed in the teaser, it survives the planet’s destruction by lifting away… but we know further chaos is in store as Kara mentions her world was not destroyed in a day. Nevertheless, it will be the most we’ve seen of the DCU Krypton yet.
Also, if the teaser’s focus on that spacebus seems strange, get ready for it to matter for a few minutes as well.
Milly Alcock takes on the role of Kara Zor-El. She made a brief cameo in Superman, notably hungover and searching for Krypto. In Woman of Tomorrow, we find Kara already inebriated. She is a survivor of Krypton, but unlike Clark (David Corenswet), she remembers what it was like there, and beyond the survivor’s guilt, her one reason for surviving — raising Clark from infancy — was stolen from her when her escape pod arrived on Earth decades after he did. We presume the DCU Supergirl is suffering from similar stresses, and her desire to leave Earth and find planets with red suns so she can drink is rooted in those traumas. And as she states in the teaser, she sees “the truth” while Clark sees “the good in people.” It’s a fair summation of the differences between them.
All of which is to say Alcock is the perfect person to play a more complex and less jolly Kara. We’ve already seen her play similar emotions as the young Rhaenyra Targaryen on House of the Dragon. Her one scene in Superman also suggests she can bring some fun and levity to the part as well. Of course, it remains to be seen if her Kara can find a quip or two while chasing Krem of the Yellow Hills. Based on the teaser, she seems to have a healthy skepticism about herself even if the trauma of surviving Krypton looms large in her psyche.
Krem, meanwhile, is played by Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts, a veteran of films such as Rust and Bone, The Danish Girl, and The Old Guard. He may seem like an odd choice for the primary antagonist, but Krem is no ordinary villain. He is complex, for one thing. And his reasons for killing Ruthye’s father are less obvious than one might think. Also, his attempts to evade the women hunting him alters his standing in the cosmos and his own mental state. He is an accomplished fighter, which the actor has some experience with thanks to films like The Old Guard. Also, the brief glimpse of him in the teaser suggests he has the build for the part.
Eve Ridley takes on the role of Ruthye Marye Knoll — one of the more curious comic book characters if Woman of Tomorrow is anything to go by. For one thing, she is both the viewpoint character and the narrator of the tale. Her descriptions of both the path she and Kara take toward vengeance and her own interior journey make her, perhaps, the most developed of the three leads. And since the book doesn’t need her to be an ongoing character, she may prove to be the one to change the most in the finished film. It remains to be seen, though, if she will be the viewpoint character. The film is called Supergirl, after all. Ridley’s previous credits include The Witcher and 3 Body Problem, so she is no stranger to genre stories, but the film will be her most prominent appearance yet.
Other talent in the film include Emily Beecham and David Krumholtz as Kara’s parents — Alura In-Ze and Zor-El, respectively — who we imagine will be glimpsed in flashbacks. Similarly, Ferdinand Kingsley will appear as Ruthye’s father, Elias Knoll. His fight with Krem is one of the book’s key scenes, so we imagine it will prove a pivotal moment in the film.
But the most high-profile supporting cast member we know about has to be Jason Momoa, who joins the DCU as Lobo. The intergalactic bounty hunter first appeared in DC’s 1980s sci-fi series Omega Men, but soon involved into a parody of the early ‘90s grimdark comic book characters. Granted, the parody was so dry, some embraced him in the same way they embraced Venom, The Punisher, and other more extreme “heroes” of the era. The Main Man, as Lobo is also known, has superstrength and the ability to grow a clone of himself from just one drop of his blood. That said, most writers ignore that ability in favor of the character’s other abrasive qualities. Legend says Momoa always wanted to play him and was more than happy to trade in being Aquaman for the role. Like his brief shot in the teaser, the part is said to be more of a cameo, though, so it is possible Kara and Ruthye will visit his homeworld, Czarnia, before its own tragedy occurs.
Director Oren Uziel was originally set to develop a Supergirl film set in the previous continuity of the so-called DC Extended Universe, but that fell through after the lackluster performance of The Flash feature and Gunn’s ascendance to the co-CEO role of DC Studios alongside his producing partner, Peter Safran. Writer Ann Nogueira remained on the project and pivoted to Gunn’s DCU plans for the character. Known for on-screen roles in The Vampire Diaries and The Michael J. Fox Show, she is also developing scripts for Teen Titans and a reported Wonder Woman feature.
Taking the helm from Uziel is Australian director Craig Gillespie. His filmography includes I, Tonya and Cruella, which means he has some idea of how to tell the tale of a young woman finding her place in the world, even if that place requires some violence. Some of his other credits include the Fright Night remake, Lars and the Real Girl, and Pam & Tommy.
Gunn and Safran are onboard, of course, as producers with Lars P. Winther, Chantal Nong, and Nigel Gostelow as executive producers. Other crew include director of photography Rob Hardy, a veteran of Alex Garland films like Annihilation and Civil War; editor Tatiana S. Riegel, known for Gillespie’s I,Tonya and Cruella; production designer Neil Lamont of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story fame; and costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (Spider-Man: Far From Home).
Filming began in January of 2025 in London and wrapped by summer. Location filming in Scotland also occurred.
The film is set for release on July 26, 2025, roughly one year after Superman. Per Gunn’s design, it is unclear if a direct sequel will materialize quickly. But considering the way Kara’s one scene in Superman captured people’s attention, we imagine she will finally soar in her return to the big screen. Subsequent stories can always be worked out from there. Maybe she’ll even figure out how to stay on Earth while sober or befriend some of the other costumed characters on the planet. In some universes, her friendship with Batgirl is legendary. In the interim, though, we imagine people will be swayed by this Kara and her tougher road out in space.
Supergirl is scheduled to open in theaters on July 26, 2025.
