The DC Universe's first foray into deep space won't be in HBO's Lanterns (streaming in August); it will be in Supergirl, and it seems that being a forerunner comes with an unexpected linguistic challenge.
In a recent interview with Fandango for Supergirl, director Craig Gillespie shared new details about the scope of Kara Zor-El’s upcoming solo film, hinting at a much larger and more ambitious cosmic story than many anticipated.
"Maybe I'm not supposed to say this but almost the entire movie happens offworld," said Gillespie when asked to tease how Supergirl will be different from the DCU projects that have been released previously. He added, "They're away from Metropolis, so that was both amazing and daunting because we had to create a whole universe. There are five languages in this film."
Turning to Milly Alcock, he remarked, "You had to learn multiple languages that don't exist. She had incredibly emotional scenes to do in different languages, in fake languages, which were, again to your talent - to be able to emote like that in a language that doesn't exist. And then pages of intense scenes with her parents, not to give too much away, that was amazing. So five worlds, five different languages, probably 50-60 different aliens to come along in this thing."
While first revealing the Supergirl film, DCU co-chair James Gunn previously stated, "We see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he’s an infant, versus Supergirl, who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life."
As most DC fans are already aware, the upcoming film draws heavy inspiration from writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely’s acclaimed 2021 Supergirl comic run, later collected in the trade paperback (TPB) Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Supergirl, the second DCU film to hit theaters, is directed by Craig Gillespie-directed and finds Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El / Supergirl following up on her humorous cameo in Superman, alongside a supporting cast that also includes Eve Ridley as Ruthye, Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, and Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze.
Jason Momoa also appears as the infamous badboy space mercenary, Lobo.
The script was penned by Ana Nogueira, who was also writing/developing a Teen Titans movie before pivoting to Wonder Woman for DC Studios
Supergirl flies into theaters on June 26, 2026.