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Total Film
Total Film
Entertainment
Fay Watson

James Gunn didn't want Supergirl to be too similar to Superman: "Make it distinctive"

Milly Alcock and Matthias Schoenaerts in Supergirl.

Supergirl will look very different from Superman – and that's by design, according to director Craig Gillespie. The upcoming DC Studios movie will be the second film in the revamped comic book world under James Gunn and Peter Safran. However, despite being very closely linked to Superman, and even starring the Man of Steel himself, it will have a very different feel to last summer's blockbuster.

Speaking to SFX in its new issue, which features House of the Dragon season 3 on the cover, the director said these differences were something that DC Studios CEO Gunn really encouraged.

"I came in with around 120 pages of images of what I thought this movie should be," Gillespie explained. "I started out with thousands of images, and by the time I’d narrowed it down, there was a narrative to it, and something that was very exciting and tactile and messy.

"I showed all of that to James, and then I asked him, 'How much do you want me to be in your world, coming off of Superman?' He said, 'Not at all. I’m approaching all of these films like they’re their own graphic novels, and every graphic novel has its own illustrator and its own writer that make it distinctive, so this is your version.' That answer, for a filmmaker, is amazing!"

Milly Alcock's Supergirl was first introduced in 2025's Superman, appearing briefly in a cameo at the end to pick up Krypto from her cousin. However, the new movie is more focused on telling Kara Zor-El's story, taking her off-planet where she meets a young woman named Ruthye.

When Krypto is poisoned by the same person who killed Ruthye's family, the pair team up to find Krem of the Yellow Hills and bring him to justice. Matthias Schoenaerts plays Krem, Eve Ridley stars as Ruthye, and Jason Momoa joins the new DCU as Lobo.

Supergirl flies into theaters on June 26. For more upcoming superhero movies, check out our guide to all the new DC movies and shows on the way.

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