“Supergirl,” DC Studios’ newest feature film to hit the big screen, will be in theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Milly Alcock in the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie direts the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.
We were invited down to check out a special screening of Supergirl ahead of its release on the 26th June.
SUPERGIRL manages to balance a tight narrative with compact storytelling whilst bringing in several mainstay faces to Gunn’s DCU. It’s bombastic, exciting and heartfelt – perhaps even the movie of the summer. – Jayden Robinson
Supergirl is a compelling in-depth story that explores Kara Zor-El. Milly Alcock shines brightly in her performance, balancing comedy, heart, heroism, and action seamlessly. Jason Mamoa’s Lobo is also a major highlight. A fantastic new solo adventure in the DCU awaits this summer! – Shamoon Saeed
In its inaugural flight into the new DC Cinematic Universe, “Supergirl” reveals the origin of the interplanetary nomad Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, cousin of Kal-El, better known as Superman. Headstrong, worldly-wise, and often reckless, Supergirl exudes a brand of heroism all her own—truthful, relatable, and always on her own terms. But when an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion. Together they undertake an epic, interstellar journey, struggling to balance one’s need for vengeance with the pursuit of justice—and to save the life of Kara’s best friend, her dog Krypto. Ultimately Supergirl will prove that doing good can be tough… and it doesn’t always have to be nice.
Alcock stars alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, with David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa.
DC Studios heads Peter Safran and James Gunn are producing the film, which is based on characters from DC, Supergirl based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is executive produced by Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther. Behind the camera, Gillespie is joined by director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer Neil Lamont, editors Tatiana S. Riegel and Fred Raskin, costume designers Anna B. Sheppard and Michael Mooney, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, music supervisor Susan Jacobs and composer Claudia Sarne.
DC Studios Presents a Troll Court Entertainment / The Safran Company Production, A Film by Craig Gillespie, “Supergirl,” which will be in theaters and IMAX® across North America on June 26, 2026, and internationally beginning 24 June 2026, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
On taking on a film in the DCU [Craig Gillespie/Director]…
The idea of being able to come in under the umbrella of DC with James and Peter, I couldn’t have been more excited. Honestly, I love James’s work, I’ve been a big fan for a long time. The tonality that he uses in his work I very much relate to, and he’s a filmmaker that takes chances and isn’t shy about that. When I first met with James, he said each film they want to approach like its own graphic novel, with its own illustrator and writer, and they’re all very distinctive in the comic book world. And when they sent this script to me, I read the first two scenes and I was in. I mean, there were such extremes that happened in the opening of the movie, and that tone out of the gate, I couldn’t wait to read the rest of the script. And it all delivered, all the way up to the final scene. It leaned into the trauma, the emotion, and the choices that these characters make that are not necessarily what the audience has seen before, and I knew coming in under James and Peter’s leadership, that they wouldn’t shy away from that.
On watching Milly Alcock bring Supergirl to life…
I’m so excited about the film. It’s been a journey, finding the character of Supergirl, and Milly ultimately just became more and more kickass as the process went on. She has this strength about her, she’s not afraid to show her vulnerability. Her interpretation of Supergirl, and what we’ve done with her, is very rough around the edges and unapologetic. And it’s funny for sure, but it’s not the comedy that we’re necessarily used to in superhero films. And it was exciting to be able to explore that and keep her in this incredibly grounded place, to lean into that and never be outside of what she’s going through emotionally. It’s uncompromising, and I’m so happy with where we ended up and the way that Milly has been able to bring her to life, because it’s just unapologetic in the best way.
On who Kara Zor-El is and her arc throughout the story…
This is very much a story of self-discovery and taking responsibility. Kara’s been put into a situation that she didn’t ask for, she almost wants to run away from it, and it’s not until she faces her own trauma in a way—and seeing what Ruthye is going through—that she begins realizing perhaps she has to be accountable for herself, practice what she preaches, and just partake in life, really. She’s running away from a lot of things that she doesn’t want to deal with and using having a good time to escape. And she’s not sure what her role is in this universe. She’s got these powers, she’s got the opportunity, but Superman has a very strong footprint on Earth. She wants to be her own person and figure out what her rules are, which aren’t necessarily in the line with how Superman sees things.
On Milly Alcock’s performance in the film…
This was a four-and-a-half-month shoot and Milly’s in nearly every scene, and it is also a very physical role. Every morning, she got up an hour-and-a-half early and trained for the physical stuff on the day, because she had to stay in shape for all of that, it was interwoven through the whole shoot. But also, the poise and the focus that she turned up every day with. There’s a lot of action in this, but the moments between her and Ruthye, when she gets to talk about her backstory, she does it in such a beautifully delicate way, because she’s carrying a very guarded person as a character. Those moments could come in the middle of this long, physical shoot and be an intense three, four-page scene, and she’d be so present and so nuanced with it and perfectly in character for what Supergirl’s history has been. Those were always the most exciting moments for me, with Eve, the moment with her father, David Krumholtz, and then her mother as well, Emily Beecham. They were just such powerful emotional scenes, with the added complexity of being guarded. It was very tricky in a way, to strike that balance of emotion and restraint. And she was beautiful.
On what differentiates Kara from her cousin, Clark…
Supergirl’s got everything that Superman has—laser vision, supersonic hearing, she can fly incredibly fast. She’s also great with hand-to-hand combat when she wants to get down and dirty. She’s very physical, she can defy space. And I like to say, in the best way, she gives zero f**ks. She stands by what she believes and she’s unfazed and uncompromising. Even when Clark goes up against her and starts to impose his belief system on her, she’ll stand up for what she believes in. Clark has his adopted family and is very much rooted in that upbringing, where everything was idyllic and beautiful and he was wonderfully nurtured. Kara saw a lot of hardship; she came from a very loving family, but around her there was a lot of chaos, so she has a very different point of view on what the world is and how to deal with it. And when she’s not within a yellow galaxy, she’s basically got the powers of a human, which can become very dire. But it doesn’t affect her attitude, which is what I love. To look at her on a red planet, you would think she still has the power because of the way she carries herself and the way she interacts with people. She’s fearless whether she has the power or not. I love that quality about her.
On Kara and her unexpected companion in the film, Ruthye…
They’re a classic duo in that they’re reluctantly put together with the same mission, so to speak. Kara, who is our lead character, is singularly focused on what she wants to do, and Ruthye is a distraction that eventually wears her down and warms her up. But there’s a lot of friction before you see the cracks that start to happen and the warmth that starts to become between them, particularly on Kara’s side, where she’s put up these walls, this is gonna be three days and then she’s done. But Ruthye just gets under her skin in the best way and in a very patient way, so to see Milly and Eve with the restraint that they play against each other, and they take those barbs at times with a grain of salt, it’s like a dance that they do around each other’s backstory.
On Jason Momoa as Lobo…
In the best way, Jason is a force. He just fills the screen, you know why he is a movie star. I know Jason wanted to do this for years, and we got to really craft this character together, the whole look, and really pay homage to the comic book version of Lobo. There’ve been many decades of Lobo, but we really zeroed in on the `90s. And he came in with such enthusiasm, a lot of ideas, and really wanted to keep the humor and the eccentricities of Lobo that are in the comics. And I’m really excited that we got to do that. He just embodied the character in the best way.
On Matthias Schoenaerts as Super-Villain Krem…
Matthias is an amazing actor who came under my radar back with Bullhead. He’s done some amazing work over the years, and as we were trying to figure out who to play this role, I got wind that he would actually audition, which was crazy, you know? And I was so excited to play in that sandbox with him. And he auditioned for almost an hour. He came in and he was just ready to play, to try things, nothing was off limits, and the range of performances he gave me just blew me away. And then we just kept going with that on set. I was so excited that we cast him, and very graciously, he would give us this amazing range of performances, from some very eccentric stuff to some very dark stuff, so we got this choice of really crafting it in the edit. And I’m so happy with where we landed, he’s certainly an intimidating villain.
On Krypto, the heart of the film…
Krypto is literally the pulse of the film, and there’s a ticking clock on Krypto as to whether he’ll live, so it was really important, first of all, to establish his relationship with Kara. She discovers him on Krypton in a very powerful scene. And he ends up being the only thing she takes with her from Krypton, so he’s her physical touchstone to her previous life. So, it was important upfront in the film that we got to understand their bond and how singularly they depend on each other. And then of course, when that rug gets pulled out, how important it truly is to her to save Krypto, and she’ll go to any means to do it. It also gives her a lot of leeway in terms of how frustrated or angry she gets at points, because there are very real stakes, she’s like very much on a mission and everybody better get out of the way.
On bringing Kryptonian life to life…
That whole world was really interesting to imagine. In this movie, I think we have five languages, and Kryptonian was one of them, so those actors would have to learn these languages. I was blown away with these very long scenes in Argo with Kara and her father and mother that are three or four minutes long, all in Kryptonian, which is a manufactured language. They had to learn this and emote and perform it, and that was so powerful to see. And outside of that, we had to create this whole world. What is their architecture? What is their structure? What is the hierarchy? The physics that go on in their world? And so that was amazing. You couldn’t just turn around and give her a coffee cup. What’s the coffee cup look like? But our design teams were amazing and it was really one of the most fun things to do.
On realizing the tone of the film established by screenwriter Ana Nogueira…
Tone for me is the thing I get most excited about. It’s that dance from something absurd to something with high stakes and drama, literally within five seconds of each other. And to me, it’s always like, how do we do that? How do we pull that off? How do we keep the audience still invested in the stakes, but able to laugh at some sort of situation that happens. And it was in the writing with Ana Nogueira, it was immediately on the page, and then it was just expanding on that. That’s the kind of thing I love to be able to pull off, so the audience is always on their heels and trying to keep up in a way. It’s a dance and it’s tricky, and you need an actor that can do that, that can have the emotional stakes and still deliver the line that doesn’t take her out of character, you know? You can’t do it without that, and Milly was terrific at it.
On working with director of photography Rob Hardy to capture the look of the film…
Rob Hardy has such range, and we were really excited to not be shy with the cinematography on this film, in the sense of there’s a little bit of homage, as Rob would say, hearkening back to some of the `90s movies like Thelma & Louise, where you’d get these rich neons and dark palettes and just a real mix of color going on. And we tried to really embrace that when Kara and Ruthye go into these bar scenes where you’ll have red neons on their faces, strong light choices, and then the anamorphic lenses that we have with the big flares. I love the work to be cinematic, and he doubled down on that. There’s also a camera called the chicken, which is a very small camera on a gimbal that a gaffer can hold, or a stunt person. And it’s got wheels, so our operator can sit back and direct it to move incredibly fast and get into tight spaces very quickly. That’s what was used in the oner, and I couldn’t have been happier with the way it all looked. And then also the process of the coverage and how we frame things, he has such a beautiful eye as well. It was so enjoyable getting to play in this sandbox with Rob.
On what made Supergirl the right film for DC Studios’ next feature [Peter Safran & James Gunn / Producers]…
PS: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a comic book that James and I have always loved and wanted to adapt. We thought it was a great story and that it would give us an exciting way to introduce Supergirl to audiences as they’ve never experienced the character before. Tom King, who’s one of our collaborators, wrote the comic book with artist Bilquis Evely, and it truly is something special. It takes you on this high-stakes adventure across stars and planets; there are aliens, space battles… and yet resonating through all this action are powerful themes about hope and sacrifice and justice. One of the interesting ideas in this story is that it asks: what would you be willing to take on as a burden if it meant sparing somebody you care about from having to carry that burden themselves? Kara is thrust into a position to have to make that choice when she meets Ruthye – a young girl who is on a quest to avenge the family she lost. And Kara wants to save Ruthye from the burden she’ll have to carry for the rest of her life if she gets the vengeance she’s chasing. So, it’s a highly emotional story, but it’s also a revenge story, which is not something you normally expect to see with Supergirl.
The interplanetary setting was another element that drew us to this story. It feels fresh and unique in the genre, and also gives us a fun way to push out from the Earth-like world we experience in Superman and see what else is out there. Kara’s journey is almost entirely in outer space, so it has a completely different look and feel from anything we’ve experienced thus far in the DCU.
But one of the biggest reasons why Supergirl had to be our next film up was simply that Ana Nogueira, our writer who adapted the comic book, handed in an extraordinary screenplay with her first draft. And once we read it, there was no second choice – we knew it was a film we wanted to make.
On the approach to Supergirl that would set it apart from other superhero films…
JG: Supergirl is creating a space fantasy that I think is amazing in so many ways. Craig employed a lot of old school practical effects, which just gives it a completely different vibe than the Superman movie. I also think that Kara is interesting in that she’s a mess; she’s definitely not Clark Kent or Superman, who can pull it together despite everything he’s been through. You’ll see the differences in how their experiences have affected them – that Superman was raised by these loving parents in a completely solid home with no issues, and Supergirl grew up on a chunk of a disintegrated planet where people were dying all around her constantly – including her own parents – and she had to watch that happen. That trauma is part of her now. So, obviously, for Superman, it’s a little easier to believe in the goodness of the universe than it is for Supergirl, who has no basis to believe in that. Kara forms a relationship with this young girl, Ruthye, whose family was murdered and is out for revenge, and she can understand that. So, they form a multi-layered, interesting relationship over the course of the film.
On bringing Craig Gillespie on board to direct…
JG: I, Tonya was one of my favorite movies of 2017, the year it came out, so when Craig threw his hat into the ring to direct Supergirl, I paid very close attention. We listened to a few directors, some very talented people, but Craig came in and just seemed to have it all together. I respect the guy tremendously. He has been exactly the type of partner that we like to have at DC Studios. He listens and considers what we say but, at the same time, he has his own point of view, and is not scared of fighting for what he believes in. It’s been a very balanced approach, and that’s what we want with our partners – a conversation happening at all times about the character and the direction we’re going with the film. It has been an amazing collaboration. He’s a fantastically talented director and, of course, Ana Nogueira, who wrote the script, is just the greatest.
PS: I’ve always been a fan of Craig. He does big budget studio movies; he does more modestly budgeted indies, and they are all good; they are all character-first. He gets extraordinary performances from his leading actors, specifically women, and obviously we have very strong female roles in this film. So, all things combined, we knew that in his hands our actors would give their best possible performances. But I think what really won him the gig was he came in and presented us with such a complete vision. It was so clear what he wanted to do. He understood the characters, but he also understood the scope and the action and the story, the themes and the tone – and all of it was driven by character. He has been an incredible partner.
On working with writer Ana Nogueira to set Supergirl’s story within the larger DCU…
PS: The magic trick was to make sure that the film remained tethered to Superman but felt thoroughly different at the same time. And I think we have been able to do that as a result of, first, the script that James wrote for Superman, and then integrating Ana into everything we were doing with Superman so she could have a clear grasp of the connective tissue between the two stories. Then, of course, we have the greatest connective tissue of them all, which is Krypto. He has a major role in Superman and is, in many ways, the inciting incident of Supergirl. So, those points of connection will give the audience a natural bridge from one film to the next, and Ana has been a big part of that.
On what made Milly Alcock right for the role of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl…
PS: Milly brings a bit of punk rock to Supergirl, and that was something we were looking for because we wanted to set her apart from Clark Kent. And, as we were developing the script, we would talk about the prototype for the character as we envisioned her, and James would always mention Milly. He talked about House of the Dragon and how, in those first couple of episodes, you could not take your eyes off of her. And he loved the fact that, yes, she may be somewhat diminutive, but she just brings a power, and she enforces respect towards her. And that was always the prototype for Kara Zor-El. And then, when Milly came in and read, we all had tears in our eyes as she was going through the scenes for us during the camera test. From that moment, I felt that she was as special and as perfect for this role as David Corenswet was for Superman.
On bringing Jason Momoa and Lobo into the mix…
PS: I had a long relationship with Jason through the Aquaman years, so when James and I first took this job, I think the first text we each got was from Momoa and it just had four letters, all caps: LOBO.
JG: When Peter and I formed DC Studios, I had two actors that I talked to immediately. One was Jason Momoa, and he was like, “Oh yeah, Lobo. I’m diving in, man.” I was like, “Yeah, I think that works.” So, Jason basically knew from that time that he was going to be Lobo, it was just about how we were going to work him into it. Lobo is this space bounty hunter that Kara and Ruthye run into and have to deal with, and if you know anything about Lobo, you know that’s not going to be easy.
On Eve Ridley as Ruthye, Kara’s unlikely ally and partner in this adventure…
PS: Ruthye was an exceptionally tough role to cast because of the age of the character and the depth of the part. She’s both a foil and a partner for Kara because here is someone who, like Kara, lost everyone she loves and seen things too terrible to bear. But Ruthye has not yet given in to hardness and bitterness. Beneath the steel, she’s still a child – that’s what Kara sees in her. And Ruthye fights – a lot – and wields a mighty sword. So, we saw a lot of talented young actors for the role, but it wasn’t until we saw Eve Ridley that we knew we had something. Then, when we tested her, it was just unanimous that Eve was the perfect Ruthye.
On Kara’s scruffy best friend Krypto…
PS: Krypto is staying with Clark when we meet him in Superman, but he’s Kara’s dog, and in this film, we get to see Krypto as a puppy, which I love. He’s funny and destructive and Kryptonian, which only amps up the chaos, but he just lights up her life and she would do absolutely anything to protect him…which, of course, makes him the perfect target for the adversary to strike Kara where it hurts and effectively propel her into a trap.
On what audiences are going to experience when they see Supergirl on the big screen…
PS: Supergirl will take the audience on an exhilarating ride across the stars and into the landscapes and cultures of all these alien planets, where they’ll encounter the incredible spectrum of characters that inhabit this galaxy. We love the opportunity to create new environments that have never been experienced before on screen. And this film just transports you. It has a striking look and feel as we move from world to world, and that is a testament to the production design team, to the wardrobe team, to our guys at Legacy Effects, who do our special effects makeup and prosthetics – they’re all incredible. They all collaborated with us and with Craig to create a completely unique and immersive visual experience for the audience, and I think they’re going to enjoy the ride.
