Supergirl Star Confirms Movie Sticks to the Comics

Everyone knows that James Gunn is an unapologetic comic book nerd. His projects have included deep pulls from the pages of Marvel and DC , bringing to the screen Z-listers like Peacemaker, Javelin, and, of course, Taserface. But as much as Superman draws from All-Star Superman and The Suicide Squad carries the spirit of writer John Ostrander’s work on the series from the 1980s, no DCU project has been a direct adaptation of any comic book.

But that’s about to change. The next DCU movie Supergirl is a direct adaptation of the eight-part series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely. The movie was originally announced as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, but ever since the official title was shortened to just the hero’s name, some have wondered if director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira were deviating from the source material.

According to Supergirl star David Krumholtz, those concerns are unfounded. Speaking with Nerdtropolis, Krumhotz assured viewers that the movie will follow the work of King and Evely. “It’s very true to the graphic novel that it’s based on, Woman of Tomorrow,” Krumholtz said. “Which is great.”

Krumhotz is right. Woman of Tomorrow was highly praised for its incredible art, part high fantasy and part ’70s sci-fi, and for the unique take on Supergirl. Where the Kara Zor-El version of Supergirl (one of many, many different approaches to the Maid of Might) is usually depicted as a sunny optimist, boy scout Superman in a miniskirt, King’s version is made of tougher stuff. A riff on the Charles Portis novel True Grit, Woman of Tomorrow positions Supergirl as a sort of Rooster Cogburn, inebriated and weighed down by comparisons to her cousin. But she finds a heroic streak when an orphan called Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) conscripts her to track down the scoundral Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).

In addition to widespread praise from readers and critics, Woman of Tomorrow garnered nominations for both a Hugo Award and the Eisner Awards. But we do know that the film version will make some deviations from the original, most notably with the addition to the story of bounty hunter Lobo, played by Jason Momoa.

Changes to the source text also explain Krumholtz’s role in the movie. Where the original story keeps Supergirl’s parents to small flashbacks, the film will find room for mother Alura In-Ze, played by Emily Beecham, and father Zor-El, played by Krumholtz. Zor-El is, of course, brother to Superman’s father Jor-El and uncle to Kal-El, better known as Superman. 

It’s those family connections that excite Krumholtz. “I’m thrilled to be sort of the next piece of telling the story of Krypton and sort of further clarifying what the House of El is all about,” he enthused.

And if Krumholtz can bring the same level of character work to Zor-El that he brought to Oppenheimer, The Ice Storm, or Hail, Caesar!, then we certainly don’t mind deviating from the Supergirl comic for him.

Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.