At a recent press event for Supergirl‘s first trailer, Nerdist had the unique opportunity to hear about the new DCU movie from the creative forces behind it. James Gunn, the head of DC Studios, Craig Gillespie, the director of Supergirl, and Milly Alcock, the movie’s star. The three of them spoke to the crowd, including Nerdist, about how Supergirl was a very different movie from Superman, one featuring an anti-hero lead, who happens to be a woman superhero, and an imperfect one at that. Here’s what we learned about Supergirl from Gunn, Gillespie, and Alcock.
Craig Gillespie introduced the movie by noting that DC Studios really let the team have creative freedom and wanted them to make a movie that was different than what was already happening in the DCU. Gillespie shares that Peter Safran and James Gunn “supported us to make something that’s unique and different in this universe. And to have these guys have our backs as we lean into something that feels quite unique and exciting, with an actor that’s just awesome and was perfectly cast. We’re excited for it.” He added that the DCU’s Supergirl and Superman movies work together the way different iterations of the comics do. Gillespie notes that Gunn told him, “I want to treat the DCU like the comic book world where each one is its own graphic novel, with its own artist, and its own writers, and this is your vision of it. And you can take that and do what you want with it.” And that’s exactly what Gillespie did.
What is the story of Supergirl in Gillespie’s chapter of the DCU? “This is really an anti-hero story. What I loved about the script that Anna [Nogueira] wrote is that Supergirl’s got a lot of baggage and a lot of demons coming into this, which is very different than where Superman is in his life. And having Milly [Alcock] being able to come in and play that and all the complexity of that and do it in a way that in a very human way, where we can actually have empathy for her, and have that dance of the humor and someone that has that toughness. It was such a gift to get her. It’s really surprising the headspace Supergirl is in and the journey she gets to go on, which is very unusual for a typical superhero movie, which this is not.”
Gunn, meanwhile, echoed these sentiments, noting that the DCU really has “a different take on Supergirl. You know, so many times female superheroes are so perfect, she’s not that at all. She’s very imperfect, like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while.” We’re liking what we’re hearing about Supergirl so far.
And, of course, the movie comes together through its iconic casting of Milly Alcock as Supergirl. Gunn shared a sweet anecdote with us about how Alcock got the role, revealing, “I was excited about doing Supergirl, and I said, “You know who would be great,” This is totally true. I said on the phone, “You know who would be great as Supergirl? That little girl from House of the Dragon. That little girl, that little tiny kind, that little miniature human being from House of the Dragon. I think she’s really got something special about her.” We have to agree that Alcock crushed it as a young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, and we loved her fierce energy in that series.
As for Milly Alcock herself, she describes the experience of Supergirl as “Crazzzy. But in the best way.” And adds that she’s very excited to see everyone’s hard work come to our screens.
Ultimately, Gunn concludes, “This is a story-based medium; we want stories to be in theaters that are cool and different from each other. And this movie is not exactly just a female clone of Superman. It’s its own thing entirely. And with a character who’s equally worthy of this treatment, and I can’t wait for you to see it.”
And we can’t wait either. The DCU‘s Supergirl releases in theaters June 26, 2026.