Craig Gillespie discusses Supergirl ahead of Friday premiere

Craig Gillespie is helping steer Supergirl into theaters with a movie that DC and Warner Bros. are using to define the next phase of the rebooted DC Universe. The film is set for a worldwide release on June 26, 2026, including IMAX, and Gillespie is discussing his adaptation as the project counts down to its Friday premiere.

At the center of the film is Milly Alcock, who stars as Kara Zor-El, the Kryptonian better known to moviegoers as Supergirl. DC says the role is a dual one, with Alcock playing Supergirl and Kara Zor-El, a casting choice that places a relatively fresh screen presence inside one of the studio’s most recognizable superhero brands. Ana Nogueira wrote the screenplay, giving DC another chance to establish a distinct voice for a character who has often been shaped in the shadow of Superman.

The studio has also made clear that this is not a loose reinvention. Supergirl is based on the 2021 eight-issue Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a source that gives the film a built-in identity separate from earlier screen versions. That matters for DC’s broader strategy: the studio is not just reviving familiar names, but trying to reframe them through a more specific comic pedigree and a cleaner continuity under James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The film’s franchise stakes are higher still because Jason Momoa appears as Lobo, linking Supergirl to the wider rebooted DC Universe. That connection gives the movie a role beyond a solo origin story, positioning it as one of the early tentpoles in a new studio architecture. Variety has noted that Supergirl is the second feature in the rebooted DC Universe to lock in a release date after James Gunn’s Superman, underscoring how closely the studio is sequencing its new era.

For DC, the casting and source material suggest a calculated shift in tone and audience expectations. Instead of leaning only on brand familiarity, the studio is pairing Alcock’s ascent with a comic-rooted narrative and Momoa’s star power, aiming to make Supergirl feel less like a derivative spinoff and more like a cornerstone of the next DC slate.