Supergirl release date, cast, plot, and trailer speculation: Everything we know about the DCU movie

Supergirl is about to take flight as the upcoming DCU movie has officially wrapped filming and set a 2026 release date. The movie has headed into the land of post-production, and although it might be a while before we see an official Supergirl trailer, there is lots happening behind the scenes, with James Gunn recently changing the title of the movie from 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow' to simply 'Supergirl.'

Based on the comic Woman of Tomorrow, the movie will see Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, drawn into a galactic quest for revenge, facing off with The Old Guard star Matthias Schoenaerts as the movie's lead villain. But before Kara Zor-El makes her big-screen solo movie debut, we will get a peek at House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock as the new Supergirl in Gunn's upcoming movie Superman.

We cover all of that and more in our handy guide. Below, we have compiled everything you need to know about Supergirl's release date, confirmed cast, plot theories, first-look images, and more. Ready to meet Superman's cousin? Then simply read on to learn more about one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, as well as one of the most exciting upcoming superhero movies.

Supergirl release date

Supergirl will be released in theaters on June 26, 2026. This comes almost a year after the release of Superman this July. Based on the planned release dates for James Gunn's DCU, this means that Supergirl will be the fourth project in Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

During filming earlier in 2025, James Gunn shared a first-look image of star Milly Alcock on set in the UK in January 2025, then shared another picture of Alcock in March 2025 (which you can see below). Filming has now officially wrapped, as reported by Gunn on May 12.

Despite the year-long gap between both movies, James Gunn has confirmed that Supergirl will be the next DCU movie after Superman. The director told Omelete, “I didn’t necessarily know that Supergirl would be the second movie we were going to make," adding, "We’re going to do this movie after Superman because he was the best option." It looks like when it comes to Gunn's DCU: Chapter One, quality is key.

As it stands, Clayface is set to release just a few months after Supergirl, followed by The Batman Part II in 2027.

Supergirl plot speculation

The official plot synopsis for Supergirl (per Variety) reads: "While celebrating her 21st birthday, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) travels across the galaxy with Krypto, during which she meets the young Ruthye (Eve Ridley) and goes on a 'murderous quest for revenge'".

We are hoping to get a longer synopsis as we approach the release date. What we know is that the movie is based on Tom King's comic of the same name, and it fits the synopsis quite well – the comic begins with Kara Zor-El traveling across the galaxy to celebrate her 21st birthday with her beloved companion Krypto the Superdog in tow. On her journey, she meets a young woman named Ruthye who is on her own path of discovery. Ruthye's father has been killed and she wants revenge – and Kara is keen to help her in any way she can.

Leaked footage from the set, however, suggested that Kara might be spending more time on Earth than originally expected.

It's also been confirmed that Supergirl will make her debut in the upcoming Superman movie, which should give us some indication of where her individual story will go. Hopefully, that movie will explain a bit more about the dynamic between Kara and her cousin Clark Kent, especially as in the comic book it's slightly fraught by the time that begins.

In terms of Supergirl's title, you may be wondering where the second half of it has gone. Despite its previous title, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, James Gunn confirmed in June 2025 that the movie's official title going forward is simply 'Supergirl.'

Gunn did the same thing with Superman, which for a long time was known as Superman: Legacy. "I’m always cutting," said the director to Rolling Stone, "I’m sick of the superhero title, colon, other-name thing."

Supergirl cast

House of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock will play Supergirl, Kara Zor-El. The actor was cast by James Gunn who said they loved her "edge, grace, and authenticity". Meanwhile, Matthias Schoenaerts will play the movie's big villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, and Eve Ridley will star as the young girl Supergirl befriends, Ruthye Marye Knoll.

The rest of the Supergirl cast hasn't been completely locked down yet, and we're expecting there may be some surprise cameos along the line too. Check out the list below of everyone who has been confirmed for the cast list.

• Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
• Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills
• Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll
• David Krumholtz as Zor-El
• Emily Beecham as Supergirl's mother
• Jason Momoa as Lobo

Jason Momoa is set to make his new DCU debut as the comic book character Lobo in Supergirl. The actor previously starred as Aquaman in the DC universe before it was rebooted under James Gunn. However, fans are worried Momoa's Lobo is only a minor character, as his time on set was brief.

It's very possible that David Corenswet's Superman may also make an appearance in the upcoming movie, but nothing has been confirmed on that front just yet.

Cruella and I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie is directing the movie.

Is there a Supergirl trailer?

No, there is no Supergirl trailer yet. Cameras only started rolling on the project in January 2025, meaning there will likely be a bit of a wait before new footage is released. The first Superman trailer was released in December 2024 ahead of its July 2025 release date. Based on the same logic, we expect the Supergirl trailer could be released in November or December 2025.

For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows, as well as our breakdown of how to watch the DC movies in order.