James Gunn: Milly Alcock has "the edge, grace and authenticity" to play Supergirl

It's official: Milly Alcock, the rising star who played young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, has joined James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Cinematic Universe. Alcock will play Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Gunn and Safran are building a brand new series of interconnected DC movies and shows, with all new actors playing familiar parts like Superman, Batman and Lois Lane.

Obviously, we like House of the Dragon ound these parts, so it should come as no surprise that I'm behind this casting. Alcock was magnetic in the HBO series, and it's exciting to think about what she could bring to the new DCU opposite actors like David Corenswet (Superman) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane). According to Deadline, Alcock beat out some serious contenders for the part, including Emilia Jones (CODA) and Meg Donnelly. But if you ask James Gunn, Alcock was always one of the frontrunners to play Supergirl.

“Milly was the FIRST person I brought up to [DC Studios co-chief] Peter [Safran] for this role, well over a year ago, when I had only read the comics,” Gunn said on Threads. “I was watching House of the Dragon and thought she might have the edge, grace and authenticity we needed for the DCU’s Supergirl. And now here we are. Life is wild sometimes.”

"Edge, grace and authenticity" are some pretty intriguing descriptors for this new version of Supergirl. Unlike Superman, who crashed to Earth as a baby and grew up under the loving care of the Kent family, Kara Zor-El survived the destruction of the planet Krypton on a piece of floating space rubble. She'd need to be quite a bit edgier than her straight-laced cousin to survive.

James Gunn "was blown away" by House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock in Supergirl auditions

Gunn also weighed in on Instagram. "This is accurate," he wrote of Deadline's casting announcement. "Milly is a fantastically talented young actor, and I'm incredibly excited about her being a part of the DCU. Yes, I first became awawre of her in House of the Dragon but I was blown away by her varied auditions and screen tests for #Supergirl. She embodies Kara as envisioned by [Tom King], [Bilquis Evely] and Ana Nogueira."

That last sentence is in reference to the 2022 Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic run, written by King and illustrated by Evely, which will form the basis for a movie of the same name featuring Alcock's superhero. The script for the film is being penned by Ana Nogueira.

We'll see Alcock as Supergirl before Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, though. The casting announcement said she will "appear in a DC-based project before starring in her solo feature." It's strongly believed that that appearance will be in Superman: Legacy, the movie that will intorducee David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, though Deadline does note that isn't 100% confirmed at this point. But either way, we'll be seeing Alcock in more than one DCU project in the near future.

And hey, from where I'm sitting, that's pretty great! Alcock was wonderful in House of the Dragon as Rhaenyra, so it's easy to see how this move could bring in fans who wished they could have seen more of her after Emma D'Arcy took over the role as adult Rhaenyra in the back half of the show's debut season. The official Max Twitter account even got in on the fun, saying Alcock was "Born to fly."

Whether on dragonback or using Kryptonian powers that let her fly on her own, Alcock could be flying across our screens for years to come.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is still in its early days; no release date is known as of yet. But Superman: Legacy is due out in July of 2025. Perhaps we'll see Alcock suited up for the first time then?

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h/t TV Line