The DCU is big enough for two Kryptonians, apparently. Although it took the old DCEU a full decade to follow-up Henry Cavill’s Superman with Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El, James Gunn’s universe is wasting no time in introducing the cousin to David Corenswet’s Kal-El in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
Before Superman: Legacy even begnis shooting in spring 2024, pre-production on Woman of Tomorrow was already knee-deep. A script from writer Ana Nogueira, based on writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely’s comic book of the same name, is complete and the title role has already been cast (more on that in a moment). In a surprising move, all signs are pointing to the film being the second cinematic entry in the DCU, ahead of the Batman movie The Brave and the Bold.
Although the Girl of Steel just returned to the big screen in 2023’s The Flash, this is the first time Supergirl has helmed her own theatrically released film since 1984 — that’s a whopping 40 years for those struggling to do the math. Needless to say, the hype among DC die-hards is real. Although much about the production is still a mystery, we can still use our X-ray vision to uncover some of what’s in store in Woman of Tomorrow.
Who stars in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow?
Beating out the likes of Meg Donnelly (Zombies) and Emilia Jones (CODA), House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock has been cast as Kara in Woman of Tomorrow. This makes her only the second leading DCU actor to be found to date. With a director yet to be attached to the project, however, there have been no other casting updates at the time of writing.
Still, it’s easy to speculate that David Corenswet could drop by for at least a cameo as Clark Kent. Neither Supergirl ’84 or The Flash (outside of the eerie Slater/Reeve cameo) found room to feature Superman and Supergirl sharing the screen, which is an egregious oversight given the defining familial relationship between the two heroes. So hopefully Gunn and the film’s team will put that right this time around.
What is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow about?
From everything we’ve heard, Woman of Tomorrow will be a very faithful adaptation of the original comic. In short, it’s a cosmic quest narrative telling a self-contained storyline in which Kara accompanies a young alien woman, Ruthye Marye Knoll, as they journey across the stars in search of the evil assassin, Krem of the Yellow Hills, who killed Ruthye’s father.
Without many familiar DC characters involved — although Kara is joined by her animal sidekicks, Krypto and Comet the horse — Woman of Tomorrow will be pretty much the opposite of The Flash in terms of showcasing Supergirl’s character without any kind of wider franchise or crossover distractions. According to Gunn, the protagonist will be “much more hardcore and not the Supergirl we’re used to.”
This fits with the depiction of Supergirl in the comics too. The story begins with Supergirl travelling to another planet on her 21st birthday to let off some steam, as she’s feeling stuck under the shadow of her more famous cousin on Earth. A Supergirl who’s resentful of Clark and less squeaky-clean is certainly an intriguing prospect. As is the notion that being away from Earth’s sun means Kara has no powers, therefore she won’t be defined by her abilities in the film but by her personality.
When could Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow release?
At this point, Legacy is the only film on the DCU’s slate to have a firm release date, but comments Gunn has made about Woman of Tomorrow mean we can make a rough guess at when it will hit cinemas.
In January 2023, Gunn came clean to DC.com about when he expects the film to be released in conjunction with Legacy. “We’ll have a Superman com[ing] out. And then two years later, we have Supergirl coming out,” he admitted. At the same time, he teased that there could be a game in development that takes place between the two movies and could even star Krypto, so that’s something for fans to watch out for.
So what does this “two years later” comment mean? Well, Legacy arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025. So clearly the aim is for Supergirl to follow sometime in 2027. Perhaps even July 2027, if Gunn’s time frame is accurate to the month. It’s currently unclear if it will be the second DCU film released or if another could get moving to drop in 2026.
Those used to the speed with which Marvel makes its movies may be surprised by how far away Supergirl is coming, but this is just part and parcel of Gunn’s “quality over quantity” mantra. As he once told Variety, “I’m a writer at my heart, and we’re not going to be making movies before the screenplay is finished.” It might seem like a long wait but, honestly, we’ll thank him in the long run.
