Supergirl touches down in theaters next month, and the pressure is on the Woman of Tomorrow to deliver. After all, this is the first DCU title without James Gunn at the helm and a big test of whether the franchise can soar without his hands-on involvement.
The Associated Press recently caught up with DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran, who revealed that the idea to cast House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock was mooted by James Gunn early on.
However, the Man of Tomorrow director didn't know the actress's name. Despite that, it seemed she fit the bill for exactly the type of actress he was looking for to bring the DCU's Supergirl to life on screen, starting with a cameo in Superman.
"He goes, 'You know the young girl from 'House of the Dragon'? The young queen or princess? That’s how I picture it, like a young punk rock girl who is just totally badass and tough,'" Safran recalled. "I was like, yeah, that sounds fantastic, and we haven’t seen that before."
The report explains that when Alcock came onto their radar, she travelled from Sydney, Australia, to Atlanta, Georgia, for a screen test, only to get the news that she'd play the Maid of Might in a text message from James Gunn 10 days later. He broke it to her by simply sending the Supergirl star a link to Deadline's story about her being cast as Kara Zor-El.
Safran calls the movie "a really original and unique take on a superhero movie," adding, "I think it’s just a great movie for audiences. It’s not just for superhero fans."
"She’s in the ‘Superman’ movie for, you know, 12 seconds, yet one of the things audiences wanted to see more of was her," Safran said. "And Milly in real life, she’s just that girl, she is authentically a badass."
The weight of expectations isn't lost on Alcock, who admits that Superman star David Corenswet had a slightly different take on transforming into a superhero. Reflecting on the time they spent together, she told the site, "I remember him being like, 'We’re gonna have action figures, isn’t that cool?' And I was like, 'That’s so weird. Why would someone have a toy of my face?'"
A new still from Supergirl has also been released, showing the hero in a tense staredown with the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills. The villain's redesign is on full display here, and it's still dividing opinions, especially when compared to Tom King and Bilquis Evely's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book...
Supergirl, DC Studios' newest feature film to hit the big screen, arrives in theaters worldwide next summer from Warner Bros. Pictures, and stars Milly Alcock in the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie directs the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.
When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice. Alcock stars alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa.
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, editor Tatiana S. Riegel, costume designer Anna B. Sheppard, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, and composer Ramin Djawadi Junkie XL Claudia Sarne.
Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.