The new DC Universe by DC Studios is starting to take shape. Following Co-CEO James Gunn’s “Superman” film (formerly titled “Superman: Legacy”), due in 2025, plans for a “Supergirl” film were said to be next in line. Now, Deadline reports that filmmaker Craig Gillespie, known for “I, Tonya,” and “Cruella,” is in talks to direct the film.
‘Supergirl’: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Star Milly Alcock Nabs DC Role
Also known for directing series like “Pam & Tommy” and the Mike Tyson boxing series “Mike,” Gillespie is coming off 2023’s Sony comedy, “Dumb Money.” “Supergirl” already has a head start on the director, so he’ll be in good shape should he sign on the dotted line.
“House Of The Dragon” star Milly Allock was already hired to play the Woman of Steel, and Ana Nogueira was hired as the writer last fall.
Gillespie is known for his careful consideration of films led by female characters like “Cruella” and especially “I Tonya,” which earned Margot Robbie her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress and won Allison Janney the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Said to be based on the comic book, “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by author Tom King, Nogueira has what amounts to a long tenure on “Supergirl.” She was actually hired to write the last iteration of the movie; the original project was conceived as a spinoff of “The Flash,” which featured Sasha Calle as the character.
But following Gunn’s reboot of DC Studios, that version of the character was scrapped. Still, they kept Nogueira on to write the new version. Back when he first announced his Gods and Monsters plan, Gunn described the new Supergirl as much more “hardcore” and different from Superman.
“We see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he’s an infant, versus Supergirl, who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life,” Gunn said in the original Gods and Monsters announcement (see the video below).
While there’s no release date for “Supergirl,” DC Studios’ plan is to shoot it in Q4 of 2024 (fall or later) after Gunn’s “Superman” movie is done filming. Gunn’s film is set for July 11, 2025, so “Supergirl” could conceivably still arrive before the end of 2025, though in order to differentiate the two films and keep things fresh, WB could likely stand to save the movie for 2026.
Several other DC Studios films are in the works, “Batman: Brave And The Bold,” a “Swamp Thing” movie, and more, but none of them appear close to starting, let alone receiving release dates. In the interim, DC Studios will benefit from DC Elseworlds films that live outside the continuity of DC Universe movies, pics like “Joker: Folie A Deux” due later this fall, and “The Batman: Part II” scheduled for an October 2026 release.