The Vampire Diaries star Ana Nogueira shifted from actor to writer in the mid-2010s, and her 2016 Off-Broadway debut as a playwright with Empathitrax—a story about a struggling couple that takes a pill to feel each other's emotions—put her on the map in a big way.
With that, she "started getting called in to pitch on world-building fantasy and futuristic sci-fi," and Warner Bros. hired her to write a Supergirl movie starring Sasha Calle. While that fell by the wayside when DC Studios was formed and rebooted the DCEU as the DCU, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran made a point of enlisting Nogueira for their version of Supergirl.
In a piece on Variety, it's said that the scribe is a big fan of superhero movies, despite not being a regular comic book reader. Explaining her approach to the Maiden of Might, Nogueira told the trade, "She watched Krypton completely be destroyed. I was always like, 'I can’t get my head around the version of the character that is so sunny.'"
After reading Tom King and Bilquis Evely's "rougher and grittier and edgier and funnier" take on Kara in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Nogueira was inspired to bring that same feel to the big screen. "When I read it, I was like, 'There she is,'" she noted.
The writer is confirmed to be working on Teen Titans and Wonder Woman for DC Studios, and has sold a romantic comedy script to New Line Cinema, which she wrote alongside Sas Goldberg. Safran will produce, and Nogueira says, "It’s such a nice palate cleanser. There are no aliens, no explosions and nobody gets beat up!"
DC Studios clearly sees something special in Nogueira, as she's been tapped to work on three of the DCU's biggest titles (Wonder Woman, for example, is billed as being one of Gunn and Safran's biggest priorities).
Gunn cast House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock in Superman before Craig Gillespie was hired to helm Supergirl, and recently said that she "might be the best bit of casting I’ve ever done in my entire life. She is absolutely stunning in the movie."
That's high praise, and suggests we're in for something special next summer. Superman didn't give us much to go on, as Alcock only showed up for a drunken cameo as the Woman of Tomorrow, but she certainly looks the part.
Supergirl is the next chapter in the "Superman Saga," and will see the hero head into the cosmos to battle Krem of the Yellow Hills and Jason Momoa's Lobo. The Maiden of Might is also expected to factor into Man of Tomorrow.
In Supergirl, Supergirl 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.
The cast includes Milly Alcock as Supergirl, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Jason Momoa as Lobo, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, and Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze. Craig Gillespie directs from a script by Ana Nogueira.
Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.