Quick Answer
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow opens in theaters in the United States and most international markets on Friday, June 26, 2026. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella), written by Ana Nogueira, and stars Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as Kara Zor-El. It is the second film in the rebooted DC Universe (DCU), following James Gunn’s Superman from July 2025.
The story adapts the 2021 to 2022 eight-issue limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely, which follows a hardened, cynical Kara on an interstellar revenge quest alongside an alien girl named Ruthye.
The official release date and format
Warner Bros. Pictures dated Supergirl for June 26, 2026 in May 2024, as confirmed by Variety, Deadline and the DC.com official movie page. The release is wide in the United States and includes IMAX and premium large format engagements; international rollouts in most major territories share the same weekend.
- Director. Craig Gillespie.
- Writer. Ana Nogueira (also adapting Clayface for DC).
- Producers. James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-CEOs of DC Studios.
- Distributor. Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Runtime. Approximately two hours (final runtime per Warner Bros. listings).
The cast and the characters
The cast confirmed by Warner Bros. and the film’s Wikipedia entry:
- Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. Alcock was cast in January 2024 after her House of the Dragon breakout.
- Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, the alien girl who hires Kara to avenge her father.
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, the villain Kara is hunting.
- Jason Momoa as Lobo, the violent intergalactic bounty hunter.
- David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Kara’s Kryptonian parents, Zor-El and Alura.
- David Corenswet appears as Superman, reprising his role from the 2025 film.
What the story is about
The Tom King and Bilquis Evely comic the film adapts is one of the most acclaimed DC limited series of the past decade. The premise: on her 21st birthday, Kara is drinking on a far-off planet under a red sun (so she has no powers) when a young alien girl, Ruthye, asks her to help track down the man who murdered her father. Kara agrees, and the two cross multiple worlds in pursuit, with Kara forced to confront her own grief about Krypton’s destruction along the way.
The film keeps the central premise. Per the official DC.com synopsis, Kara reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic interstellar journey when an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home. James Gunn has publicly described this Supergirl as much darker than her cousin, having grown up watching Krypton die rather than being sent away as an infant.
How Supergirl fits into the DC Universe
The new DCU launched theatrically with Superman on July 11, 2025. Supergirl is the second film and the third overall DCU project after the animated series Creature Commandos. The slate continues with:
- Clayface (September 11, 2026), directed by James Watkins.
- Lanterns (HBO series, 2026).
- Peacemaker Season 2 (HBO Max, August 2025).
- The Brave and the Bold (Batman reboot, undated).
Unlike the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU), the new DCU is being built with a shared continuity across film, television and animation. Alcock’s Supergirl is expected to appear in future team-up projects, including the long-rumored Justice League reboot.
What early reactions say
As of the June 26 release date, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores are still populating. Early festival and press screenings (covered by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline) have highlighted Alcock’s performance, Gillespie’s visual style and Momoa’s Lobo as the film’s strongest elements. Reviewers have compared the tone to a science fiction western rather than a traditional cape-and-cowl superhero film, and several have noted that the film leans more on emotional grief than on spectacle, a deliberate creative choice by Gillespie and Gunn.
Industry projections from Variety put opening weekend in the 55 to 75 million dollar range domestically, against a reported production budget below 150 million dollars, which Warner Bros. is treating as a healthy mid-budget bet rather than a tentpole gamble.
What to watch before you go
You do not need to have seen the 2025 Superman to follow Supergirl. The film is designed as a stand-alone story with one or two callbacks. If you want to deepen the experience, the King and Evely comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (DC Comics, 2022) is the best primer and is available in a single trade paperback. Reading it is not required, but it gives context for the more melancholy tone of Kara’s arc.
The takeaway
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow releases June 26, 2026. It stars Milly Alcock, is directed by Craig Gillespie, is the second film in the new DCU, and adapts a beloved 2021 Tom King comic about grief, revenge and what it means to be the last survivor of a dead world. Expect a slower, sadder, more character-driven film than the typical superhero entry, with Jason Momoa’s Lobo as a likely scene-stealer.
