James Gunn’s ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ promises a ‘much more hardcore’ version of Kal-El’s cousin

James Gunn has unveiled the new slate of upcoming DCU projects. Among them is the officially titled movie Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. 

Gunn’s announcement arrived Tuesday morning following an enormous amount of anticipation for what his and Peter Safron’s take on the comic book’s cinematic future would look like. According to Gunn, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will vastly differ from the Supergirl DC fans are used to seeing on the screen. He has described Kal-El’s cousin as “much more hardcore.”

“We will see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth. She is much more hardcore and not the Supergirl we’re used to.”

The DCU’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will follow the storyline laid out in Tom King’s mini-series of the same name wherein Kara Zor-El struggles to find purpose in a life wrought with death and destruction. After witnessing the annihilation of Krypton and everyone she loves, Kara is sent to Earth to help her cousin, only to quickly discover that her help isn’t needed. In addition to feeling useless, she is plagued by the never-ending comparisons to her famous cousin.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of 10 movies and TV shows Gunn and Safran announced as part of the studio’s first phase of projects, now officially dubbed “Chapter 1.” The movies and TV shows therein will focus on “Gods and Monsters” and implement a “long-term interconnected story for the iconic franchise and characters,” according to the press release.

DC has not yet announced who will take up the mantle of Supergirl, nor has it shared the film’s director, producer, or writer. The movie is expected to premiere two years after Superman: Legacy, which has a release date of July 11, 2025. That means we can reasonably assume Woman of Tomorrow will hit theaters sometime in 2027.