Supergirl will hopefully be an antidote to a longstanding problem at Warner Brothers: superhero success at the box office.
Despite Henry Cavill’s popularity, 2013’s Superman movie was not a box office success.
Nor were the further DC Comics adaptations, Justice League and Superman v Batman.
Now, Warner Bros may have finally cottoned on to what it needs for a boost at the box office: strong women.
Patty Jenkin’s success with Wonder Woman was proof enough, and the studio is now eyeing another female superhero.
Recent news of Henry Cavill’s fade from the limelight of Superman has been put down to one thing: Supergirl.
Who is Supergirl?
For the purposes of the upcoming movie, Supergirl is the teenage cousin of Superman.
Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, escaped planet Krypton while Superman was still an infant, making her first comic debut in Action Comics #252 in May 1959.
Oren Uziel, whose screenwriting credits include 22 Jump Street and The Cloverfield Paradox, is writing Supergirl.
Beyond that, not much is known – no director, stars, or release date.
While not a lot is known about the plot either, a Cavill-as-Superman cameo has been ruled out (not least of all because Henry Cavill would have to undergo some serious age regression).
Supergirl is set to be part of a new era for Warner Bros and DC, creating a new template for future Superman movies.
Like Bond, Superman is a character with the potential for plenty of re-imaginings.
Should he be recast, a Superman cameo could appear – just not with Cavill’s face.
Warner Bros has a slew of upcoming DC-based movies to keep fans on their toes.
The movies include Shazam!, the Margot Robbie starring female-lead Birds of Prey, and the standalone The Joker origin movie starring Joaquin Phoenix.
All of these are in addition to Aquaman starring Jason Moma and Shazam! starring Zachary Levi.
Ezra Miller is set to star in an upcoming adaptation of The Flash, and next year’s Wonder Woman 1984 is also on the forefront of DC fans’ minds.
Supergirl may be a stranger to the big screen, but her small screen success is well documented.
America’s CW series starring Melissa Benoist is widely lauded, and heading into its fourth season set to premiere on October 14, 2018.
So far no actress has been named yet as Supergirl for the movie version.
Neither has a director been named.
Many are imagining, and hoping, the hunt will start and end with a slew of female directors.