James Gunn's Hunt For The New Supergirl In The Rebooted DC Universe Is Down To Two Names
The search for one of the more high-profile castings in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe is now in its final stages. After last year brought us the news that the new co-CEOs had officially hired David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult as the newest versions of Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor, respectively, the trio of actors will soon be joined by one of two popular young actors for the role of Supergirl. Start placing your bets now, folks.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the competition to play Superman's Kryptonian cousin is now down to either Milly Alcock or Meg Donnelly. Both actors reportedly participated in screen tests in Atlanta, Georgia, earlier this week, with both Gunn and Safran in attendance. Alcock, of course, became a breakout star in her role as the younger version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel/spin-off "House of the Dragon" (before being replaced by the brilliant Emma D'Arcy in the latter half of the season). As for Donnelly, her prior DC connections make her an intriguing choice for Supergirl — she has famously voiced the exact same character in various DC animated movies over the years (including as recently as "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part One", which released earlier this month), making her a surprisingly logical fit to make the leap into live action.
Either way, the resolution of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes has allowed DC's new decision-makers to go full speed ahead on putting this new universe in motion. In terms of major casting for the first movie of the rebooted franchise, "Superman: Legacy," all that remains is settling on our new Supergirl. Read on for all the details.
A new direction
If it feels a little too soon to recast Supergirl, look no further than the well-received portrayal of the harder-edged superhero by Sasha Calle in last year's "The Flash." Through no fault of her own, however, James Gunn's vision for his new DC Universe simply didn't align with Calle's take on the character, so we're now starting from scratch. Obviously, both Milly Alcock and Meg Donnelly are likely to channel the comic book character's more traditional look, even as this seems like a relative step back in terms of on-screen diversity. Regardless, it's been widely reported that this new Supergirl will appear in "Superman: Legacy" next year before headlining her own feature film down the line.
Titled "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," the movie will clearly take inspiration from the recent comic book series of the same name, written by author Tom King. We previously reported that the project will be written by actor and playwright Ana Nogueira, which will be something of a redemption for her after she had once been involved in a previous iteration of the film. All we know at this point is that it has been described as a "standalone feature" and that Gunn himself detailed his new take on Supergirl as "a much more jaded character." In a fascinating tidbit, THR also noted that both Cailee Spaeny ("Priscilla") and Emilia Jones ("CODA") had previously been in the running to play Supergirl before ultimately giving way to Alcock and Donnelly.
Stay tuned to /Film for more updates on this casting and the overall production as they come in.