Supergirl Star Shares Key Advice For Her DCU Woman Of Tomorrow Successor

With Milly Alcock set to take flight as Supergirl in James Gunn’s DC Universe, actress Melissa Benoist is offering her some career advice. Benoist wore the cape as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in the CW’s “Arrowverse” series Supergirl for six seasons and 126 episodes, and became a fan favorite in the process. In an interview with Collider, she pulled from her experience playing the character to provide some insight into how Alcock can win over a picky fandom.

The House of the Dragon star is expected to make her first appearance as the Girl of Steel in Gunn’s Superman film, due to release in 2025. Her solo film adventure, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, will be directed by Craig Gillespie and is scheduled for release in 2026. Alcock will be the third actress to portray the character in a major production in just the last five years, and her success will bolster a comic book cinematic universe struggling to keep up with Marvel’s current domination in TV and film.

Benoist won rave reviews for her role as Kara, embracing a traditional portrayal of Supergirl that still managed to break new ground. Her advice to Alcock, and anyone else who would take up the mantle, is to remember the fans and the audience that has supported the character for years:

I think what always drove me while working on that show was the audience and who I knew I was making the show for. Of course, I know that she is an iconic character that spans many generations of fans, but the people that I was making that show for while we were making it were young women, and if I kept that in the forefront of my mind, it always made everything palatable.

Milly Alcock’s Supergirl and the New DCU

Alcock’s turn as Supergirl comes at a tumultuous time, as Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios attempt a reboot of the DC comic universe in television and film. James Gunn, who became an A-list director with his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel Studios, is spearheading the reboot as co-CEO of DC Studios, along with Peter Safran.

The previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films effectively ended with 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (with Jason Momoa in the lead), and was highlighted by the “Snyderverse” of films, featuring actors Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

Supergirl joined the DCEU in 2023’s The Flash, with actress Sasha Calle (The Young and the Restless) in the role. Despite a positive reception to her performance, the film’s failure at the box office ended plans for future appearances in films.

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Milly Alcock’s Supergirl is expected to be a cornerstone character in the launch of Gunn’s DCU. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow director Craig Gillespie directed both Cruella and I, Tonya, demonstrating an ability to balance visuals with a compelling, character-driven story. Ana Nogueira.King is writing the script, and filming is expected to begin later this year, continuing into 2025.

Alcock had her breakthrough role as a young Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, which just began its second season. She has also appeared in the Australian TV series Upright and Reckoning.