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Supergirl may be based on the beloved comic book mini-series, Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, but there are some big differences in the adaptation. One of the biggest changes is villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, just referred to as Krem in the DCU movie, who looks very different from his comic book counterpart.
While in the novel, the Brigand looks pretty human, as we've seen from the Supergirl trailers, the movie went in a different direction. Krem is covered in facial piercings and loves leather, looking way more Mad Max than the original.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, the star behind the character, Matthias Schoenaerts, reveals that he loves the look, adding what he thinks of the big changes.
"That's the first thing that Craig showed me, because I, of course, I was familiar with the source material, and I was like, 'Okay, so how are we going to blend that in?,' and then he showed me his idea, and I was like, 'Wow, this is fantastic,'" the actor recalls. "It was pretty crazy to walk in, because, as magnificent as it looked, it wasn't the easiest to run in, for example, but it looked fantastic."
According to Schoenaerts, the revamped look was also one of several changes made from the comics. "I think that's a fun part of this movie, is that, of course, story-wise, it's very much related to the source material, but the writer and Craig [Gillespie, director] added new components and elements to it, so that it's still fresh," he adds. "Even though it's very close to the source material, and so people are going to have the satisfaction, they will still be surprised because it's brought to you with a new swing and a new flavor."
Coming from a long line of DC villains on screen, Krem stands apart in the new movie. The actor played him several different ways on set at the request of director Craig Gillespie to keep him unpredictable in the final cut.
"I've seen a lot of the films so I know what the legacy and the heritage is, and I'm like, 'Okay, I have to bring something new to the table,' and you want to be memorable," Schoenaerts explains.
"I wanted to make him funky and unpredictable, and then back and forth, I wanted to make him an unforgettable madman, your favorite romantic lead," he laughs. "That was what I had in my head, the nightmare romantic lead. I'm like, 'That's my guy.'"
He was a pretty intimidating presence on set too, according to actor Eve Ridley, who plays Ruthye, a young girl whose family is murdered by Krem. Filming those scenes was also the first time she met her co-star in person too.
"It was the worst, no, it was the best, but in a scary way," she tells us. "I am a huge horror fan, and I am proud to say that I love horrors, but this was a different kind of scary. This was like being in the horror movie, the center of it all.
"I was promised to see him out of prosthetics and everything, and out of costume, but did that happen? No. So, the first time I met him, it was my first day shooting and I just saw him walk on the set out of the shadows, this is a huge man with studs on his face and everything. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life, but I mean, I didn't have to act."
Supergirl is out in UK cinemas on June 25 and arrives in US theaters on June 26. For more, check out our breakdown of how to watch the DC movies in order and all the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.
