Supergirl is flying into cinemas

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's wild speculation!

Supergirl is headed to the movies: Warner Bros. and DC have begun developing a feature film centered on Kara Zor-El. The movie version will not be tied to The CW’s Supergirl series and Melissa Benoist is not expected to reprise her role on the big screen. Unlike Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, which sees characters crossing over from their television properties to their features, DC has kept a firm line between their big screen and small screen worlds.


The project is still in the early stages, with Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street, The Cloverfield Paradox) writing the script. Kara Zor-El hasn’t been seen on the big screen since 1984’s Supergirl, which starred Helen Slater (who, in a fun bit of stunt casting, now plays Kara’s mom on the CW show). The 1984 British production was meant to be a spinoff of the Christopher Reeve films, but the notoriously bad movie was a critical and commercial flop. Although, I do think it’s worth watching, if only for Faye Dunaway’s over the top performance as baddie Selena. Dunaway doesn’t chew the scenery so much as she unhinges her jaw and swallows it whole. Check out the trailer in all its 80’s glory:




With the announcement of the film comes, of course, rampant fan speculation and fantasy casting. We’ve got our own picks for who we want to see play Kara in the upcoming film (while I love Melissa Benoist’s portrayal of the character, I doubt they’ll let her be in the feature).

Kathryn Newton

Kathryn Newton has given strong performances in Lady Bird, Blockers and Big Little Lies. She would bring a youthful energy and strong acting chops to the role, plus she’s already proven her range in PBS’s Little Women miniseries.

kathryn newton
(image: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for InStyle)


Billie Lourd

Being Carrie Fisher’s daughter and Debbie Reynolds’ granddaughter is a quite a legacy to live up to, but Lourd has proved herself more than up to the challenge. Her scene-stealing work in Scream Queens and American Horror Story are evidence that she has the talent to carry her own big feature.

billie lourd
(image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Christian Dior)


Zendaya

Let’s think outside the white girl box for a minute. Having a woman of color play Kara Zor-El will not only give the DCEU some much-needed diversity, but it will also help further distinguish the character from Melissa Benoist’s performance. Zendaya has already proven her talents in Spiderman: Homecoming and The Greatest Showman. It’s time for her to get a solo vehicle worthy of her talents.

Zendaya
(image: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)


Francia Raisa

The Grown-ish actress got her start on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and has been steadily turning in charming, girl-next-door performances ever since. Plus, she donated a kidney to her BFF Selena Gomez so she is basically a superhero already.

Francia Raisa
(image: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Teen Vogue)


Sydney Sweeney

Sydney turned in two killer performances this year, as mean girl Emaline in the tragically canceled Everything Sucks! and as the tragic wife Eden in The Handmaid’s Tale. She’s a rising star and definitely one to watch.

sydney sweeney
(image: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Refinery29)

Auli’i Cravalho

Cravalho has already cemented herself as a Disney princess with her titular performance in Moana. Now that NBC’s Rise is canceled, it’s time to find a role that is worthy of her talents.

Auli'i Cravalho
(image: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Who would you like to see as Supergirl? Share your casting picks in the comments!

Warner Bros. wants to hire another female director for a DC movie, and Supergirl is the next hopeful landing spot. Following an undoubtedly rocky start, the DC Universe is now making strides in hopefully the right direction. While the quality of the movies remains to be seen, the one move everyone is excited for is their diverse lineup of voices helming and starring in upcoming projects. Their focus has especially turned to making more female-driven films, and Supergirl looks to be the latest one on their list.



It was recently revealed that 22 Jump Street writer Oren Uziel is going to write the script for a Supergirl solo movie. At the time, it was unclear just how big of a priority Supergirl was for WB and DC. While the script is still in the early phases, the studio already has some thoughts on who should direct the film. There's no shortlist or even one contender right now, but they do want a woman to direct.



Related: Zack Snyder Says Man of Steel Pod Isn't Supergirl Setup



Deadline shared the news that Warner Bros. is being "very vocal about wanting to employ another female director" for Supergirl. Any real director search may still be months away at this point, but this information at least gives everyone an idea of what type of directors they'll be looking for. It is just the latest DC film that is targeting a female director and whoever ultimately gets the job will join a talented group.





WB and DC's interest in hiring more female directors to craft female-led stories isn't just coming as a result of a need for more diversity in filmmaking, but also as the direct result of Wonder Woman's success. Patty Jenkins broke box office records left and right with the film. The pairing of her and Gadot made Wonder Woman shine and made her the only choice to direct the sequel. Jenkins is back for Wonder Woman 1984 following contract negotiations that saw her break through Hollywood's glass ceiling to receive top dollar pay.


Jenkins isn't the only female director WB has enlisted for a DC film though. They previously hired Ava DuVernay to develop and direct New Gods. The ambitious project is still in the early phases of development too, but DuVernay is a beloved and talented voice in Hollywood. They also brought Cathy Yan onboard to direct Birds of Prey, which will make her the first female Asian director on a comic book film. The studio is also looking for a female director for Batgirl after Joss Whedon left the project. There's plenty of big and currently unknown names WB can court for Supergirl, so hopefully this mindset doesn't change once the director search actually begins.