The news broke earlier this week that Milly Alcock had landed the role of the DCU's new take on Supergirl after emerging as a top contender alongside Meg Donnelly, and we now have a few new details on James Gunn's casting process, along with a better idea of what to expect from this latest live-action incarnation of the Girl of Steel.
According to Variety, Gunn and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran flew "multiple actors" to the Superman: Legacy set in Atlanta for screen-tests, with Alcock and Donnelly (and possibly others) donning the Supergirl suit and boots for their auditions.
Though it was said to be a "close contest," Alcock ultimately won the part, and will suit-up as a "less earnest and more edgy version of the iconic superheroine" as Gunn looks to move away from "previous depictions of the Girl of Steel, particularly the long-running CBS/CW series fronted by Melissa Benoist."
Gunn revealed that he actually had Alcock in mind to play Supergirl since seeing her performance in House of the Dragon.
“Milly was the FIRST person I brought up to Peter for this role, well over a year ago, when I had only read the comics," the filmmaker posted to Threads last night. "I was watching ‘House of the Dragon’ and thought she might have the edge, grace and authenticity we needed.”
Variety also mentions that this story will follow Kara as she "travels across the galaxy to celebrate her 21st birthday with Krypto the Superdog. Along the way, she meets a young woman named Ruthye and winds up on a murderous quest for revenge."
It's worth noting that this is the premise of Tom King's Woman of Tomorrow comic, so the movie might well make a few changes.
Actress and playwright Ana Nogueira is currently working on the Woman of Tomorrow script, but the project does not currently have a director attached, but we should find out who'll be helming the movie in "the coming weeks."
Gunn and Peter Safran announced the Supergirl reboot during their studio press day in January of last year, when the "Gods and Monsters" DCU slate was revealed. The project will be at least partially based on King’s acclaimed comic book series of the same name from 2022.
Said Gunn at the time, “In our series we see the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl who was raised on a rock, a chip off Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life, and then came to Earth when she was a young girl. She’s much more hardcore, she’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re used to seeing.”
Superman: Legacy is set to commence production in March.
You can check out some new fan-art from Boss Logic below.