It seems the “best year” for Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, is already shaping up nicely as DCU begins to roll out its post-Superman slate. Following a brief cameo in James Gunn’s Superman, Alcock’s Supergirl is now gearing up for her own standalone outing, which looks far more personal and violent.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira, the upcoming film will draw inspiration from the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic storyline while promising a more emotionally charged journey than fans have seen on screen so far. This version of Kara is pulled into a violent mission that forces her to confront what heroism really looks like.
With the first teaser already confirming a shift in how the DCU builds its next generation of heroes and (briefly) teasing Jason Momoa’s cigar-smoking Lobo in all his leather-clad glory, here’s everything you need to know about DC Studios’ Supergirl, including the release date, cast, plot details, trailers, and more.
Supergirl: Release Date
Supergirl soars into theatres on June 26, 2026, nearly a year after Superman kicked off DC Studios’ reboot. The upcoming film will serve as the fourth project in Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
Supergirl: Cast
The Supergirl cast gives us a pretty good sense of where Gunn’s new DCU wants to go next. Milly Alcock, fresh off House of the Dragon, is carrying the cape as Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin and one of DC’s most powerful superheroes. She’s joined by Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, a young extraterrestrial who becomes central to Kara’s journey, while David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham step in as Supergirl’s Kryptonian parents, Zor-El and Alura In-Ze.
Standing in Kara’s way will be Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, one of the most reviled villains in the comics. Jason Momoa also returns to the DC Universe in a very different role, trading Aquaman for the fan-favorite mercenary Lobo. Moreover, not long after the trailer debuted, a post-screening Q&A also confirmed that David Corenswet’s Superman is also set to appear in the film, though it’s still unclear how Corenswet will fit into the story.
While the film’s full lineup of characters hasn’t been revealed just yet, here’s how the current Supergirl cast looks:
- Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
- David Corenswet as Superman
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills
- Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll
- David Krumholtz as Zor-El
- Emily Beecham as Supergirl’s mother
- Jason Momoa as Lobo
What Will Supergirl Be About?
DC has finally shared an official plot synopsis for Supergirl and it gives a pretty good idea of what Kara’s solo outing is aiming for. Per Variety, the official synopsis for the film reads, “While celebrating her 21st birthday, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) travels across the galaxy with Krypto, during which she meets the young Ruthye (Eve Ridley) and goes on a ‘murderous quest for revenge'”.
That setup closely mirrors Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the comic the film is based on. The story follows Kara as she travels across the galaxy with Krypto to celebrate her 21st birthday, before crossing paths with Ruthye, a young woman looking for revenge for her father’s murder. Already grappling with her own trauma, Kara decides to help Ruthye see it through.
The caption for the recent Supergirl trailer also hints at how that journey will unfold, teasing, “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.”
James Gunn has also been clear that this version of Supergirl will spend a lot of time in space. Speaking to Rolling Stone, he described the films as “especially a space adventure,” saying, “Supergirl especially is a space adventure. It’s like Guardians.” We’ve already had a small taste of this take on Kara through her DCU debut in Superman and if Gunn is to be believed, Alcock’s Kara is far from put together.
“She’s a total mess,” James Gunn told Screen Rant about the character. “I mean, I think as we learn, she’s had a completely different background from Superman. A much more difficult background. He’s had this wonderful upbringing by these two parents that loved him and were very healthy. And her background was much different than that.”
The new trailer also confirms that Krypton’s destruction will factor into the story, though it’s still unclear whether that will be explored through flashbacks or something else entirely. What is clear is that Ruthye Marye Knoll plays a major role, just as she does in the comic.
Moreover, David Krumholtz has described Supergirl as “very true to the graphic novel,” while speaking with Nerdtropolis, with DC Studios co-head Peter Safran backing that up. “If you’re a fan of the comic book, you’re going to love the movie,” Safran told Entertainment Weekly. “But it’s for a much broader audience, perhaps, than even the comic book. Director Craig’s stuff balances humor and pathos and emotion so well.”
Is There A Trailer for Supergirl?
Yes, DC recently dropped the first Supergirl trailer, and even though it keeps the plot mostly under wraps, it tells you a lot about the film’s tone. Set to Blondie’s “Call Me,” the two-minute clip offers our first real look at the DCU’s Krypton, Jason Momoa’s Lobo, and plenty of Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El partying her way across the galaxy.
From the jump, the trailer shows Kara as a fundamentally different kind of hero than Superman, with her own scars, her own edge, and far less interest in being anyone’s symbol. “He sees the good in everyone, and I see the truth,” says Alcock’s Kara in the trailer.
We also see Krypto along for the ride, which only adds to the road-trip energy the trailer is going for. The trailer plays like a messy, spacefaring detour rather than a typical hero origin story and Gillespie’s direction shows Kara very much on a bender. Of course, the trailer also hints that this run-from-your-problems phase won’t last forever. When Kara crosses paths with Eve Ridley’s Ruthye, she’s compelled to stop running and deal with things she’s been avoiding.
Are There Any Other Films Like Supergirl?
If you’re looking for something to watch ahead of Supergirl, the DCU lineup is still pretty lean. The only film that comes before it is Superman, which also marks Supergirl’s first appearance in this new universe during the final act.
Outside of that, there isn’t much that directly ties into Supergirl yet, although Peacemaker and Creature Commandos are worth checking out for a better sense of the kind of stories and tone James Gunn is building across the DCU.
