James Gunn Says ‘Supergirl’ Is “A Rock And Roll” Take On Girl Of Steel: “Really More Of An Anti-Hero Story”
After making her debut in the final moments of her cousin’s silver screen return earlier this Summer, the arrival of Supergirl‘s first trailer has given DC fans their first look at what director James Gunn is describing as a “rock and roll” take on Kara Zor-El.
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Set against the pounding beat of Blondie’s Call Me, the trailer follows the Girl of Steel through a montage of moments from across her upcoming adventure, from pounding shots at an interstellar bar on her birthday, to making the acquaintance of Ruthye Marye Knoll, to finally soaking in some yellow sun and letting loose against the aggressive hordes of Barbond’s Brigands, all of which feels a bit more Guardians of the Galaxy than expected and ultimately culminates with the reveal of Supergirl‘s June 26th, 2026 release date.
Long-confirmed by Gunn as an adaptation of Tom King, Bilquis Evely,and Matheus Lopes’ Woman of Tomorrow, the choice to center the DCU’s second proper outing around such a slightly-out-of-left-field character has been a point of pause for fans ever since the film was confirmed as part of the new DC Studios’ opening slate.
However, during a recent press event held ahead of the trailer’s public premiere, Gunn revealed that the reasoning behind Kara’s second-place start was neither complicated nor salacious, but was instead the result of his genuine love for Ana Nogueira’s script treatment.
“Why Supergirl? Why now? Why Craig? Why Milly [Alcock]? And the reasons are various, but the main one is when Ana Nogueira wrote the Woman of Tomorrow script, it was fantastic, and in DC Studios, we care most about the writing, and so we just instantly green lit the movie.”
“Now, it was something that I was very interested in making from before we even took over DC Studios. I remember when the graphic novel first came out, when Peter [Safran] and I were kind of talking about taking over DC, but hadn’t decided yet. I called Peter. I said, ‘Have you seen this book by Tom King, Woman of Tomorrow?’
“I told him how great it was, what an interesting take it was on Supergirl. And I said, ‘You know who would be great?’ And I said – and I didn’t know her name – I said, ‘You see the little blonde girl on House of the Dragon? I think she would be great,’ because it’s sort of a rock and roll Supergirl, and that’s why.
“But then Milly, of course, had to audition with hundreds of other people, and she got the role. [And] Craig is one of my favorite directors, has been for a long time. He directed I, Tonya, which was my favorite movie from that year, but also many other movies that I enjoyed. And so when he threw his hat in the ring to direct this film, we were more than interested. And now, here we are.”
From there providing some further insight into Supergirl’s character, Gunn asserted “This is really an anti-hero story. She’s got a lot of demons, a lot of baggage coming into this, which is very different forms where Superman is in his life.”
“So many times female superheroes are so perfect. She’s not that at all. Like male superheroes have been allowed to be for a while.”
Given that a single trailer is not enough to judge just how this “rock and roll”, “anti-hero” spin on Kara will exactly play out, it seems all bets are off until Supergirl actually hits theaters next June – but at the very least, Gunn’s genuine love of King’s worrying still remains a giant red flag.
NEXT: ‘Supergirl’ Writer Ana Nogueira Does Not Understand The Character’s “Sunny” Optimistic Past
