Craig Gillespie On ‘Supergirl,’ Milly Alcock, James Gunn’s DC Universe & What’s Next [Interview]

Craig Gillespie has always been drawn to outsiders. From “Lars and the Real Girl” to “I, Tonya,” “Cruella,” and “Dumb Money,” the filmmaker’s work often centers on bruised, misunderstood characters trying to survive systems that have already decided who they are. So, in that sense, “Supergirl” may be a bigger, more cosmic canvas than Gillespie is used to, but it is not necessarily a left turn.

Written by Ana Nogueira (“The Flash”) and featuring “House Of The Dragon” breakout star Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, “Supergirl” finds Gillespie working inside James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Studios universe. But as the filmmaker explained in a recent interview with The Playlist, Gunn’s directive was not to make the film feel like a cog in a larger machine. Instead, Gillespie said he was encouraged to approach the film like its own graphic novel, with its own tone, visual language, and emotional rules.

Gillespie also spoke about inheriting Alcock in the title role, why he wanted to hold off on showing Kara in the Supergirl suit, how much the script changed after he came aboard, working with Jason Momoa as Lobo, and whether he might continue with the character in the future. He also teased several upcoming projects, including a likely Apple series with Julia Garner, a new project with Glen Powell, another TV series with Tony McNamara, and the still-possible “Cruella 2.”

READ MORE: Craig Gillespie Teases New Julia Garner & Glen Powell Projects, But Would ‘Love’ To Continue The ‘Supergirl’ Story With Milly Alcock [Exclusive]

“Supergirl” opens only in theaters on June 26, 2026.

I’m always curious about how these franchise gigs work. Did James Gunn seek you out? Did you pitch yourself? How did that work?
I got sent the script kind of out of the blue. I wasn’t necessarily looking to do a large tentpole superhero film, but I’ve always loved James’ work. And I thought, if there’s any sensibility that I relate to, it’s James’. I got this script, still with reservations, but then I read it. Literally, second scene in, I’m like, “All right, I’m in. I know this movie. I know how to do this.”

Between that very intense opening scene and then the bar scene with Milly, and the pathos and the humor and just the abruptness of it and the irreverence of it, I was so excited about the tone of this. And Ana did an amazing job. So then I went in and pitched myself to James and Peter. They were meeting several directors, but it was critical to me to pitch my version of the film. I wasn’t trying to second-guess what they were doing.

So I came in and showed 120 images of what I thought this movie should be. And I also pitched that I don’t think we should see her in the superhero outfit until as late as possible in the movie because of the emotional journey she’s on, and when she’s ready to actually wear it. And they amazingly embraced it all.

It’s an interesting emotional journey, and that really manifests at the end. She’s absolutely the reluctant superhero. It’s been put upon her. She’s not looking for this role. She’s dealing with her own issues, her own trauma, and running away from a lot of things.
And bizarrely, sort of miraculously, through her journey with Ruthye, whom she’s helping along the way very reluctantly, she realizes it’s almost like holding a mirror up to herself. She understands the trauma that she’s been through. And serendipitously, you get to see that she’s recognizing that in herself and that she has not been dealing with it. And she’s almost forced to deal with it by her teachings to Ruthye.

I’m always curious about this, too: does the script change when you come on board? Do you work with the screenwriter? What changes in the development process?
[“Supergirl” screenwriter] Ana [Nogueira] did such an amazing job with the character and the journey, all the way up to the ending, which is quite shocking. It did not change. The set pieces changed. There’d be a big action set piece, and we had a lot of leeway on what that was or how that would manifest itself.

I really tried to give each one its own distinctive character and to reflect where she was emotionally and all those kinds of things as we went through it. But the actual screenplay didn’t change that much, which was amazing. And with that final scene, it was something we discussed at the beginning with James, and he was very bullish about that.

As we kept shooting it, there would be murmurs around the set and stuff: “Do we shoot an alternate version in case, for testing?” And to his credit, it was always like, “No, that’s the ending.” And I love that. It was our North Star. If we’re going to go that far with her journey, it informs us on how far we could go in other places along the way.

You inherited Milly Alcock, right? Was she cast before you came on board?
I did inherit her, very, very fortunately. Amazingly, the lead actor is probably the most contested, discussed, and controversial piece of filmmaking. And it’s a very unusual thing that I get to come into this, and it’s already been decided. But in so many ways, it set the tone for the whole film because I love Milly’s work that I’d seen in “House of the Dragon” and in her work in Australia.

Knowing that that’s what they wanted this movie to be, because in her work in the past, there’s scrappiness, or fierceness, or a humor and accessibility in all of her work. And there’s almost this independent spirit that I loved. So being able to know that that’s what James was recognizing as Supergirl, it gave me more license to really lean into that. I couldn’t have been more excited about Milly being attached beforehand.

Did you get involved in some of the other casting?
Yeah, everything else, basically. At that point, it was just Milly. In the very first meeting with James and Peter, it was, “All right, so Jason’s going to be Lobo.” That was a very quick conversation. But then, yeah, Matthias auditioned, which was amazing. I’ve loved all of his work, “Rust and Bone” over the years. And then it was a casting process with everyone else.

What is it like working with James Gunn in this capacity? He obviously has strong opinions as a filmmaker, and now he’s a studio head, too. What is that like compared to a more traditional studio process?
It was wild because, literally, in the first meeting with them, I had one meeting, and I threw it all out on the table. I said, “How much do you want this movie to be in your universe?” And honestly, surprisingly, he’s like, “Not at all.” He said they’re approaching each of these movies like their own graphic novel. A graphic novel is so distinctive to that writer and that illustrator. “This is your graphic novel.”

I presented these 120 images to him that first day, and I was like, “Okay, great.” And because it all happens off-world, we haven’t established this world in his universe yet. I was creating a whole universe that we haven’t been to. And I kept waiting for the shoe to drop as we started going through prep and going through the shoot, and it didn’t. We stayed so true to that Bible that I created, and I gave that to all the production departments.

In post was when he popped up again, and that was honestly really advantageous. He came in for four days in the edit suite in post, and we could have these very articulate shorthand discussions as directors. It was really getting under the hood: “Do we really need this moment?” “Do we cut out here?” “I’m not sure about that song.” “Maybe we don’t need score.” It was very specific stuff that is so much a director’s trade. So that banter was really fun to have, throwing out ideas, and that was uniquely different than a regular studio.

Studios sometimes don’t know. They’re like, “This is troubling us,” but they don’t have any solutions, which in its own way is great because it’s like, “Okay, what’s the note behind the note?” And we get to figure it out, too. Often, it can be a good note. But this was different. I had this experience once before with Spielberg when I did “Fright Night.” Obviously, he’s a revered filmmaker, and I wasn’t sure, but it really becomes a discussion among filmmakers, which is a huge advantage.

You’ve done a lot of different things and worked in a lot of television. Does that give you a different angle from some filmmakers? Filmmaking is collaboration, and it feels like you’re very keyed into that idea.
For me, it’s the gamut. I tend to approach every movie like it’s an independent film. It doesn’t matter the scale. Whether I was doing “Dumb Money” or this, you never have enough money, you never have enough time. There’s a kineticism to it.

I love working with actors, first and foremost, and getting into that tone I love to be in, which is a mix of humor and drama that almost happens simultaneously and is subjective for the audience. It’s your personal experience that makes this funny or not funny. Those are all elements that tend to be in everything I do. That’s what I get excited about.

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Your work has a strong affinity for female characters, from “I, Tonya” to “Cruella” and even “Pam & Tommy.” Do you think that helped you get this gig? Is that something people see in your work?
I think it manifests itself in a way that the more you do that. I got this amazing opportunity to work with Margot on “I, Tonya.” But originally, it seems to be my work, male or female, there’s definitely a theme about being outsiders or misunderstood and dealing with certain kinds of trauma, like “Lars and the Real Girl.”

It always seems to be that kind of approach. I haven’t done the therapy on that yet to figure that out. But now, I’ve gotten into this section of very strong female characters that are flawed and human and overcoming obstacles. It’s a space that I love to be in. It’s a space that I’ve really enjoyed, having the opportunity to work with such great characters.

What was your biggest challenge in making this film?
The biggest challenge with this thing? I think it’s just the length of it. It’s a four-and-a-half-month shoot. It’s just physically exhausting. It’s a joy, honestly. I’m so lucky that I got to work with Milly, with her professionalism and her intensity for her performance, being able to come in every day and be completely prepared, but then willing to play.

I love to be as close to the camera as I can with the actors. I’ll often be right by the camera, five feet from them. We had this banter all the time while we were shooting the script, but every morning I’d write stuff for her to try. So every morning, she’d walk in and be like, “What do you got?” And I’d throw lines out, and then she’d try stuff. We’d get to do this dance and play. That was really fun, so those days weren’t hard in any way. They were a lot of fun.

When you start doing six weeks of stunts, and you get to shoot 12 seconds in a day, that gets tiring.

Your TV runs can be long, too, though, right? Sometimes you’re doing multiple episodes.
Television is so fast. Even on “Your Friends & Neighbors,” I remember one week, three of the days were nine pages. Nine pages on a feature is unheard of. It’s just a different kind of style. But I’ve never shot more than four episodes in a row.

I’m pretty obsessed with “Your Friends & Neighbors.” What was that experience like?
I loved working on “Your Friends & Neighbors.” It was my second time with Jon Hamm, and he’s a joy to work with. Jonathan Tropper’s writing is amazing. It was a great cast.

What was it like working with Jason Momoa? I assume someone like Jason, who has long wanted to play Lobo, has a strong idea of what he wants the character to be.
Absolutely, but in the best way. For 15 years, he’s wanted to do this. It’s not been on my radar for 15 years. I had to do a bit of a deep dive on Lobo and all the comic iterations of him, and I quickly zeroed in on the ’90s. He was very much a fan of the ’90s version of Lobo as well.

But just the attention to detail: the eye makeup, what it is, is it scarring, is it a tattoo, what’s the history behind it all? Amazingly, graciously, with Jason, he gives you such a range. I’d say, “Let’s do a more intimidating performance,” and then, “Do a gregarious one.” He was really trusting in that way to play with it and figure it all out and find that character, even after he’d been thinking of it for 15 years.

What are you doing next? And are we going to see you live on in this DC universe, whether it’s more “Supergirl” or something else?
Obviously, I’d love to work with Milly again. I loved creating this character with her. We’ll see what happens.

The very next thing I’m doing is most likely a TV show with Julia Garner for Apple, which we’re excited about later this year. I’ve got a project with Glen Powell we’re working on. And then, actually, another TV show that I’m working on with Tony McNamara, who I worked with on “Cruella.”

I’ve been very, very lucky with that. I love the actors I’ve had the opportunity to work with. That’s the funnest part of this for me, that creativity.

Are we going to see “Cruella 2” at any point?
It’s possible. That’s going to be something else that’s on the agenda.

“Supergirl” opens in theaters on June 26, 2026, via Warner Bros.

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