The race for the DC Universe’s (DCU) Supergirl role is almost over – and there are only a few contenders left in the field, if a new report is to be believed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), new DC co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have narrowed their list of potential collaborators to two finalists. The duo in question? House of the Dragon alumnus Milly Alcock and DC movie voice actor Meg Donnelly.
THR’s sources claim that the pair participated in screen tests for Kryptonian, which will debut in 2025. Superman: Legacy before starring in her own DCU movie on January 23. Gunn and Safran were, perhaps unsurprisingly, present for the final round of auditions, suggesting studio executives are preparing to install Alcock or Donnelly as Kara Zor-El.
The likely recruitment of Alcock or Donnelly is just speculation for now, but there is a potential bit of truth in one of them landing the role. As of this writing, Gunn — who regularly takes to Threads to shoot down bizarre DCU rumors — has not commented on THR’s latest report. So it’s becoming increasingly likely that Alcock and Donnelly are the only actors vying for the position.
As mentioned, Supergirl will be making her first big screen appearance since 1984 Great girl in a cameo role in Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Then she gets her own movie – Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – which, like the latest Man of Steel film, will be part of DCU Chapter One.
Details are sparse Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but we know Ana Nogueira will be handling lead writing duties. Nogueira was hired in November 2023 to write the film’s screenplay and, among a few other snippets of information Gunn provided at the time, those were Great girl movie updates proved that Gunn is learning from the mistakes of the recently departed DCEU.
In its own (Justice) League
Alcock and Donnelly are undeniably the top choices to play Kara Zor-El in DC’s new superhero franchise and beyond, but I’m having a hard time deciding who I’d like to see in the role.
Of the two, Alcock is perhaps the best known. Her impressive performance as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon‘s first season earned her high praise and proved that she has the screen presence and natural talent to portray a character as complex, tense, and emotionally damaged as Kara needs to be.
However, Donnelly has experience starring in multiple DC films, albeit in animated form. Donnelly has voiced Supergirl in two DC films – Legion of superheroes And Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One – so she’s well-versed in playing Superman’s fiery cousin and knows what it takes to get into the character’s headspace.
Of course, voicing Kara in an animated film is different than playing her in a live-action project, but Donnelly is just as at home in front of the cameras as he is in the recording booth. Indeed, she starred in all the Disney Channel’s Zombies films, and stars Mary Campbell Supernatural spin-off show The Winchesters. So any concerns about Donnelly starring in a live-action film are unfounded.
Like I said, I wouldn’t trade places with Gunn and Safran because of this casting headache. Alcock and Donnelly seem like a perfect fit for the role and since both actors are 23 years old, they’re also the right age to play a member of Clark Kent’s extended Kryptonian family. It will be an extremely difficult decision – but hey, that’s why Gunn and Safran are creatively leading Warner Bros.’ superhero franchise. Discovery is out of the doldrums, and I’m not.