DC’s new movie universe is still defining itself, but “Supergirl” already seems to come from a different emotional climate than “Superman.” The first teaser for “Supergirl” has arrived, offering a glimpse of Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El in a film that appears less interested in clean heroics than bruised grief, outer-space weirdness, and a heroine who’s clearly not built to play the symbol the same way her cousin does.
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Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film opens in theaters and IMAX on June 26, 2026. Peter Safran and James Gunn are producing for DC Studios, with Alcock joined by Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa.
That tonal split seems to be the point. In Entertainment Weekly’s new first-look coverage, Gillespie says the film digs into Kara’s life on Krypton and the trauma that shapes her, while describing a much larger interstellar canvas involving multiple planets and even several languages, including Kryptonian. He also frames the movie’s engine in more tactile genre terms, likening parts of it to “John Wick” and “True Grit,” which is a pretty telling blend for a Supergirl story.
The broad setup centers on Kara helping a young girl named Ruthye pursue vengeance against Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Schoenaerts. At the same time, the film also folds in Lobo, with Momoa finally getting his long-rumored shot at the role. That alone gives “Supergirl” a more unruly, roaming quality than the usual origin-story machinery, closer to a bruised cosmic road movie than a standard cape-and-cowl launch.
Gillespie is a smart fit for that. His best work, from “I, Tonya” to “Cruella,” tends to find the messier, more abrasive edges of characters who don’t arrive pre-sanded for audience approval. If that instinct carries over here, “Supergirl” may end up feeling less like a polished brand extension and more like the first genuinely oddball swing of the new DCU.
In the meantime, DC clearly wants this to register as one of its major summer events. “Supergirl” lands in theaters June 26. Watch the trailer below.
